You’ve found your Purpose.  You’ve articulated it. You know that purpose-driven = performance. A common roadblock?  Not incorporating Purpose in decision making.  According to a recent study from Price Waterhouse Coopers, 69% of Executives believe Purpose is central to success.  Only 34% make decisions based on Purpose.  Disconnect!  
Simply put, if you want results from Purpose, you need to integrate it in your decision making.  It’s simply a matter of Flipping the Filter, changing the lens we use to make decisions.  Sounds simple, but it’s far harder to execute.  Why?  We’ve been doing something else - making decisions based on profit or gross margin, as an example - for so long, it’s hard to kick the habit.  But when done right, it can have profound results, including increasing your top and bottom line. 

You may not know it, but Lincoln - yes, that car company you thought might go away a few years ago - has done a lot right the past few years.  In fact, they’ve recovered from some extremely rocky times, reinvented themselves and have experienced significant growth for three years running.  That includes double-digit growth this year despite a decline in the luxury car market as a whole.  When I talked with Executives there, many things stood out.  What rose to the top?  Their Executive team was willing to Flip the Filter and make their most important decisions based on Purpose.  The result, innovative new products, distinctly different messaging (hello Mathew McConaughey), positioning in the marketplace and of course the rapid sales rise I’ve already mentioned.  

It’s easy to say Purpose Matters.  The evidence is unequivocal.  It’s quite another to know what the Purpose is.  Developing shared Purpose, a Purpose that defines the cause and passions of an organization, is even more challenging.  Surprisingly, that’s as true for early-stage companies as it is for those that have been around for 5+ years.  In a world where we’re under siege with commitments, communications and just “growing the business,” where do you start?

For those of you that have a well-defined Mission statement, you may have a good start.  I’ve written previously about using a technique called the 5 Why’s, which originates from Lean, to get to your root cause, or reason for being.  For some organizations that’s all they need to get to Purpose.  For others, particularly those with 10+ people or those of you that haven’t revisited your Mission in a while, you need to go deeper and wider.  

I’ve asked many questions and used many processes to help organizations get to their core reason for being, the cause that ignites the shared passion of the team, the Why of their organization. Two questions stand out as having been the most effective in a team-based setting.  They get you the raw material to understand what your team believes and what inspires them.    

• Why do we exist as an organization?
• What is your Purpose for working here?

I’ve asked those questions verbally and over email.  For this, I prefer email (or other written forms of communication).  Why?  You’ve got to think a little bit more when you type AND you can then use a bevy of tools to help you make meaning from what you’ve received.  Word clouds are a particularly powerful tool for this.  Here’s an example of what came out from one client I worked with.

The words that came out surprised some people and were incredibly powerful.  Many on the team didn’t know how aligned and committed each person was individually to their customers, to service, to being good and to helping people.  The word cloud became a rallying point for developing a shared Purpose that both inspires and drives the business.

Developing a Shared Purpose can be daunting.  Don’t let that stop you.  Starting with two powerful questions can go a long way in initiating that process.  Results will follow!
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For most, end of year means we reflect on two questions.  How have we done?  What will we do?  Those questions fuel two critical functions for helping individuals and organizations.  1) Performance Reviews. and 2) Strategic Planning.  

The question/comment I get most often when I’m talking with CEOs and Leaders about Purpose boils down to this.  I get it, Purpose-prioritizers outperform.  What do I do to start tapping in to that in my organization?  

​Assuming you know your Why, the next steps of Purpose, the “so what, now what” steps, boil down to this: “connect the dots,” and “flip the filter.”  They’re two sides to the same coin that create powerful outcomes.  Here are a couple of examples:

You know Purpose-prioritizers outperform.  You know that Performance Reviews and Strategic Plans drive the behaviors you want from your team.  You also know you’re coming up on both.  So, have you connected the dots and created a plan to: 

• incorporate Purpose in to performance reviews? and 
• integrate Purpose in to strategic planning? 

If Purpose is a key driver of the business, shouldn’t it be part of the processes for strategic planning and performance reviews that you’ve already got in place?

You know that you emphasize what’s in your strategic plan.  You know that you want to be more Purpose-driven.  You aren’t sure what that means just yet.  But, you don’t want to lose track of it.  Have you connected the dots by making it a strategic goal to develop a plan to integrate Purpose in to your business in 2017? ​

 Great example of Purpose shifting messaging at TD Ameritrade.  Effective?  Absolutely.  Look up Patagonia's results with their "don't buy me," campaign.  A 40% increase in sales.

One of the greatest examples of Purpose-driven decision making of our time.  Thank you CVS!

Stunning numbers in this article.  89 percent of companies that prioritize doing good outperform the market in medium and long-term share prices and earnings.  Deutsche Bank.  And, Employees who believe their company is fulfilling a noble purpose are also between 13 percent and 30 percent more productive, according to the Census Bureau's Center for Economic Studies and the Ifo Institute.

How to Build a Thriving Workplace Brand
“companies with shared values with their employees tend to grow revenues four times faster than those that don’t (John Kotter and James Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance).”