Weekend Musings: Aligning Purpose with Principles

“Business is ultimately for the betterment of our society. That is where the mission and value of every business must exist.”-Konosuke Matsushita

Operating a business can be an enriching experience for many and, I say that because it has surely been for me. Honestly speaking, I’m truly grateful to be a part of an organisation that is built on sound principles, has a shared vision and like-minded colleagues. We celebrated #WorldEntrepreneurDay last week and hence I thought of bringing up the Basic Business Philosophy and 7 Principles we follow at Panasonic which has worked as a guiding light for the organization for over a century. In the present day and age, where the new age businessmen or, the budding entrepreneurs are looking for long-term sustainability, here’s sharing my two cents that have always guided me, kept me going during trying times. 

At Panasonic, while profit is an obvious aspect of our business, the key driving force for us has always been the purpose, defined as the “Basic Business Philosophy” and the Principles, which is defined through the 7 Principles by our founder Konosuke Matsushita– things big or small, always feature intent, excitement and unity; simply because we all genuinely want to contribute to society, hence a ‘Better Life, a Better World’. We’re all cogs in a wheel, heading in the same direction with shared principles and unique individual skills. Cooperation & team spirit weave us together towards achieving greater milestones, and untiring effort for improvement, fairness & honesty, adaptability and singular vision as an organisation, turns the wheel smoothly. The professional experience becomes significantly better when you’re surrounded with courtesy, humility and gratitude. In all, at our organisation, we follow a business directive which is aimed at a greater good. And, this is one of the traits that define our core!

If you want to run a successful organisation, just remember that no metric can ever replace the innate values of credibility, honesty and ethics. You should always intend to sustain your organisation on pure merit, and not look at short term gains. I believe a successful venture can be built when it features two things:

1)     Purpose - The heart of every organisation and the driving force towards contributing to society

2)     Principle - The brain or the moral compass guiding you through good times and bad

For the entrepreneurs who’ve made it already, I would urge you to remember your early starting days, the vision, values and principles that you’d started with; stay consistent with them. Remember, the more transparent and ethical you are, honest with your stakeholders and investors, the easier it will be to run your organisation.

I really hope that this article is able to help and inspire people to set off on the right journey. Let me know what you think.