If you answer, "Because it's their job to care," then guess what? You're right - but that doesn't matter. Your company is already in big trouble. The Twenty-First Century is going to leave you behind.
No matter how mature and professional we are, we all seek a higher purpose through our work - or, if our work fails to provide that purpose, we seek it someplace else, and our performance suffers. Our company suffers. Our customers and stockholders suffer. Our competition thrives.
Regardless of industry, the most successful companies are those that provide a galvanizing purpose, or meaning, or cause for their entire workforce, from the C-suites down to the factory floor and the janitor's cart. This shared sense of mission makes work an adventure shared by a chosen elite - and isn't that more exciting than a routine? ...a paycheck? ...a career? ...a project? ...(yawn) a job?
Too many CEOs fail to grasp this, which is perfectly understandable - after all, when you're Number One, your work almost certainly has all sorts of intrinsic meaning: your company's success is your own success. So they put a committee to work crafting a mission statement, announce that statement at an annual meeting, and turn their attention to more "important" work, such as relating to institutional investors and industry analysts.
...Only to wonder why their job (propping up their stock price) is so exhausting and fruitless.
Your people only have a passing interest in your stock price. And no one's job ever directly impacted the little number on a ticker-tape anyway!
CEOs, stop wasting your time on the trees of your business: you've got people to handle that.Instead, spend all your time telling your people about the forest your company is creating! Do what all the most successful business leaders - all the successful leaders period - have ever done, and share your story. Make work important; make it meaningful.
Purpose! That's what gets us up in the morning. That's what makes work engaging. It's what makes long hours and difficult challenges worthwhile. Fun, even.
Yes, business is fun. At least when it's done properly. But we'll save that lesson for another day.
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Missions: How does your company compare?
Disney World: A Happy Place On Earth
Southwest Airlines: Another Way to Get There
Zappos: Powered by Online Shoe Sales
Four Seasons Hotels: We Have Beds
Shula's Steakhouse: When The Wait At Outback Gets Too Long
Walmart: Cheaper Than Most
GE: Another Big Company Whose Executives Are Well-Paid
Ben & Jerry's: Made With Sugar and Cream
(This is fun. I invite you to add to this list yourself in the comments section.)
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This is part 5 of my 5-part series introducing the new iteration of this blog. I'm just warming up, though. Winning at business in the 21st Century won't be covered in five posts, or in fifty. I hope you like what you've read so far and come back for more!
Better yet, sign up for the RSS feed and follow me on Twitter. Links for both are on the upper-righthand side of this page.
Good food for thought and good post.
ReplyDeleteI know I, as one CEO, don't spend enough time on (a) reflection and (b) creating the overall message I want to share with others in the company.
Amen Ted ... focus on the relationships and not just the bottom line, and you might be surprised at the longevity and health of your business.
ReplyDeleteYou make many excellent points. If a leader doesn't have a story to share about their "forest" and what's important, workers won't feel connected. Also, I agree that meaning and purpose are so important. I've seen workers especially struggle with this during times of change. When a worker's job changes, he may feel like he is losing the purpose or meaning he associated with his old job. Helping him reestablish meaning and purpose in the new role is critical.
ReplyDeleteSet the course. Keep setting the course. Correct along the way.
ReplyDeleteI think there's a way to do that, find meaning, and make some money at the same time.
Your passion is clear to see and read.
ReplyDeleteIn my experience the important task is neither the trees nor the forest, it's the taking everyone up 10,000 feet first and showing them what a forest is. Then saying "how can YOU get us there", then you stay at 10k feet while the team go at it - totally empowered - because when they're in the forest building, they don't know how big it's got - that's the CEO's job - it's 2 way.
The CEO sees the loggers (the competition) cutting into the good work on the other side of the forest - when the CEO comes down from 10k - nobody sees it - and like you said, the competition run rampant.
The focus on the bottom line, I agree with you. The bottom line is an outcome of something else, so focus on 'that something else'. Ask yourself - "What will cause us to have a profit?" then focus on that answer, profit is caused.
I agree with you on the importance of having a clear vision and a mission.
ReplyDeleteHere are some that I like:
Virgin Atlantic: To grow a profitable airline, where people love to fly, and people love to work.
Honda: We will crush, squash, and slaughter Yamaha! (Not a nice one, but very clear. From the Honda-Yamaha war in the eighties.)
McDonald's: McDonald's vision is to be the world's best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile. (I rarely eat fast food. However, I do appreciate that McDonald's defines what they mean by "best" in a very tangible manner.)
Business Network International (BNI): Givers Gain.
W.L Gore (Guiding principles): Fairness to each other and everyone with whom we come in contact - Freedom to encourage, help, and allow other associates to grow in knowledge, skill, and scope of responsibility - The ability to make one's own commitments and keep them - Consultation with other associates before undertaking actions that could impact the reputation of the company
Coca-Cola and Merck also have useful statements of mission and guiding principles.
Of course, to be meaningful, a mission statement must express how an organization actually does things.
For example, BNI has built their organizational structure around Givers Gain in a manner that minimizes internal competition. W. L. Gore designed their "lattice" model to encourage effective communication, initiative and personal responsibility.
Good post. Thanks!
I agree. As an employee, if your employer doesn't care, why should you. Vision is key.
ReplyDeleteI agree, business is personal: http://tinyurl.com/32wk2bm
ReplyDeleteAlthough I like the purpose angle even better.
Ted:
ReplyDeleteThis is a great finale to the series. Purpose is so important - and not easy to do. It has to work for the organization. It needs to resonate with it’s people, other stakeholders, clients, communities. As prior poster Henrik said the mission/purpose has to be reflected in how the organization actually does things (both internally and facing the market).
When there is not a match, or not a higher purpose or clear mission at all, I've seen individuals and teams (well, those who haven’t succumbed to apathy or ‘victimhood’) create their own. It provides that small inspired place they work within until (usually) they find an opportunity with a purpose they care about and want to contribute to somewhere else. I agree that it’s those organizations willing to create collective inspired “places” for people to work and customers to engage with that will be successful going forward. (Shades of Pollyanna thinking – but a girl can hope for lots and lots of those.)
Looking forward to more on this!
Aimee
PS- here's a couple of "missions" for your list ;)
Starbucks: Coffee and some couches.
Hallmark: Taking the place of hand-written notes.
There are several key leadership responsibilities that fit for CEOs only. It can be said that the CEO is responsible for everything.
ReplyDeleteI love this post, Ted. I completely agree. For me, working where I do, I am inspired to give my best each day. That has a lot to do with knowing that my work contributes to keeping families safe online. It's great to know that my work matters, that I'm helping to stop the "bad guys" from harming the innocent. That's "purpose" and it goes way beyond the job description. Every company needs to share their purpose. If it's all about making money, it will never be all it can be.
ReplyDeleteEstive Aqui!!!
ReplyDelete