Why your team purpose is actually hurting your business

Purpose has become a buzzword in the workplace.

It’s at the heart of company mission statements, plastered across marketing and has now become a key factor for people when considering potential employers.

But what if your team's purpose is actually hurting your business?

Hear me out here.

There’s no question (in my opinion) about the importance of team purpose, but unfortunately so many companies get it wrong.?

Despite hours spent on keywords and carefully cultivated sentences, once a team creates their purpose they often forget about it almost instantly. It becomes a box that is checked off a to-do list, rather than a living, breathing aspect of the company culture.

Rather than just be a hollow statement that means nothing to people, it needs to be put into practice and brought to life to serve its intended purpose.?

So, what can you do to make sure your team's purpose is helping - and not hurting - your business? Here’s a few things to keep in mind.?

1. Get your team involved in creating it

If you want your purpose to actually do what it’s meant to, your people need to feel aligned and connected with it. They are the ones who are living it, day in and day out. For them to truly feel aligned and engaged, ask for their input and give everyone a chance to contribute their ideas and perspectives.

It might be easier to craft a sentence or two, share it with your people, and expect everyone to fall in line… but that’s not how it works. Your team needs to feel invested in the purpose, like they’re a part of it and helped shape it. When they do, that’s when the magic happens.

2. Communicate it clearly and often

Purpose isn’t something that you should just set and forget or hang on the wall and expect to do its job. Creating your purpose is just the first step. Then, you need to be constantly talking about it, sharing it and making sure it’s a clear part of your team's culture.

One way is to make sure that it is regularly discussed during team meetings and performance reviews, so that everyone is on the same page about the part they play in the bigger picture and identify any changes to improve alignment. Even in daily interactions, purpose can be brought up to remind people why they are doing what they're doing and check whether they’re on track.?

3. Align with business goals

Although it probably differs, your team's purpose should not be something separate from the overall business goals and vision. The general purpose of the team is that they are there to live out the values and beliefs of the organisation so that it can thrive.

In other words, the purpose of the team should support and contribute to the larger mission of the company, and that means working towards the same end goals.

For a few more ideas to help you develop a team purpose that will support company vision and goals, check out this blog.

4. Use it to guide decisions and actions

When your purpose is done right, you can actually use it as a framework to help you strategise, set goals and make decisions.?

Ben Hunt and the Olympic Rowing Team identified a powerful but simple technique to keep their team united and working towards the same purpose. They asked themselves one question about everything they did: Will it make the boat go faster? If the answer was no, then they didn't do it. If the answer was yes, they did it. And that's how they won.

Your team probably doesn't have a boat, but use your purpose as a benchmark to help unite people, make more effective decisions and decide on the best course of action!

5. Regularly review it

Your purpose shouldn’t be static. Businesses are constantly evolving, and your team’s purpose needs to be changing with the times.

The purpose of your team should reflect the current state of the business and its goals, and that requires regular reflection and review. But it also needs to remain relevant to your team. As projects and team members come and go, you need to re-evaluate your purpose and make sure it’s relevant and that everyone remains aligned and connected to it.

One Last thing…

High performing teams aren’t the default and Braver Leaders Team Coaching focuses on providing you with the purpose, skills and support you need to be the cohesive unit you have the potential to be.?

Book in a chat with me here to find out about the different workshops and coaching programmes available.