Fabulously amazing queries

Yes. Actually, we think every company already has a purpose, it’s just that some companies don’t know it and some purposes aren’t all that great.

The purpose of a purpose is to acknowledge our drive as humans to contribute to something that matters. Sure, we all need to pay our bills. But for most of us, that isn’t enough to make us as passionate as we can possibly be.

Hint: Don’t just read the fancy posters on the wall. Observe the actual behavior.

In many organizations, the stated Purpose and the lived Purpose are quite different. Organizational cultures evolve over time to deliver what leadership really expects—not just what they say they expect. Your Culture—as expressed through behavior—will tell you almost everything you need to know about the real Purpose of your organization today.

Culture makes some behaviors easy and others hard. Look at what is easy to do at your company and what is difficult.

If you perceive a mismatch between the stated Purpose and the behaviors that your culture actually fosters—then the organization either needs to update its Purpose or do some work on the Culture to bring it back in line with the Purpose. Don't worry. It happens. Even cultures need a tune up every now and then.

Great question! This one is a bit too complex to do justice to in an FAQ but here are some thoughts to consider.

Bringing purpose to life is an act of change. If you were already living it fully, you would not be asking this question. More importantly, it is an act of human change. “The organization” is a bunch of people with aspirations, fears, hopes, dreams, neuroses, quirks, and all the glorious mess that human nature bestows on us. That means you have to design for human nature, not simply attempt to impose a corporate mandate on people because it makes sense to you.

This includes the pace of change. People will not change faster simply because there’s a Gantt chart on a Powerpoint slide. Their hearts and minds must be engaged in the right way. You have to meet them where they are, not where you wish they would be. This often requires taking a hard and unbiased look at the current state of your Culture and being willing to hear some hard truths.

The focus needs to be on behavior. Of course you’ll have beautiful words, fancy posters, and inspirational videos. But the entire effort has to be conceived of and designed to change behavior, not as an advertising campaign. Treating it as an act of communication is the best way to guarantee it has no impact.

Every culture—like every person—is unique. Different cultures respond to new ideas differently. Power and influence are generated and flow through organizations differently. Different cultures have different appetites for change. They each require their own unique form of persuasion. A one size fits all approach will not work. Be skeptical of anyone who wants to take you through their patented 3-step process. It will almost definitely fail.

You must make sure not to deliberately or inadvertently signal that Purpose and Values are an “initiative”. Initiatives have a start, middle, and end and people in organizations have learned that all they need to do is keep their heads down and do nothing because the initiative will blow over and the organization will move onto the next “big thing”. Purpose and Values are who you are and how you behave. Everyone needs to be crystal clear that it’s not going away. On the contrary, they need to be convinced (through actual evidence) that Purpose and Values will only be embedded more deeply over time in how the organization operates.

Bringing purpose and values to life requires not only leadership commitment, but tremendous resolve. Because this is all about human change and human nature, there will be false starts, unexpected twists and turns, and some efforts will simply fail. Hang in there. Keep your eye on the prize, continue meeting people where they are, genuinely listening to them, and engaging them to bring them along in a way that works for them.

One great way to start is to ask people to share stories of when the organization has been at its best. Have people share a recent interaction or something they observed that, to them, demonstrated the highest ideals of the organization. You’ll not only learn a lot from these stories, but they will start to spread and create a positive momentum all on their own.

You hire us. But if you can’t, look at the legacy of your company and what its founder intended. Look at how the company has shown up in the world at its best. Try to find an overlap between that and something the world needs, something your customers (or some customers) will pay for, and something your workforce will get fired up about.

Life is not about what time it is, it’s about what time it could be—if only you’re willing to dream.

Or, you could just look it up here.

Yes. But this requires some explanation. We don’t mean you should express every thought or give in to every urge. And please, if you have to fart, take it to the bathroom. Or at least make sure it’s silent!

Being authentic isn’t about having no filter. It’s about having fundamental convictions and living them. How you live them, when you live them, in front of whom you live them is a choice you should make based on context. Authenticity doesn’t absolve you of the obligation to be kind, thoughtful, relevant, appropriate.

We believe that the person you are at home should be the person you are at work. Again, context matters. Some behaviors are appropriate at home and not appropriate at work, and vice versa. But you should bring the true essence of who you are to every context.

Oh, and btw, there’s one exception to the rule about being yourself. If you’re an asshole, please be someone else.

Whoa! That’s a lot of acronyms. But you do you.

There’s plenty of data out there demonstrating the positive financial impact of purpose. A quick Google search will turn up lots of evidence you can use.

For example, purpose-driven companies grow revenue faster than their non purpose-driven peers.

This makes sense because a majority of people globally prefer to buy from companies with a purpose and values that match their own.

And this phenomenon is not just about buying behavior. A majority of people (especially millennial and younger) want to work for companies whose purpose and values match their own—and they stay longer.

Productivity goes up significantly when people are inspired by their organization’s purpose.

Purpose-driven companies are more innovative. They deliver higher-quality products and services.

So it comes down to this:

Customers want it.

Talent wants it.

And society is demanding it.

Having said all that, in our experience when someone asks for data to prove the value of purpose, they are often doing it because purpose just doesn’t sit well with them. The request for data is often a way to reject a new thought.

And while there is plenty of data to support the positive financial impact of purpose, people can always find data to support what they already believe and reject what makes them uncomfortable.

So use the data if you feel it can help.

But ultimately this comes down to a richer and deeper conversation about what people really believe and care about. And what kind of mark they want to leave on the world for their kids and future generations.

Purpose is about having a positive impact on the world. It’s about being proud of the work you do. It’s about being able to tell your family and friends what you do every day and have them feel proud of you. It’s about shaping the sort of organizations where you’d want your kids to work.

Simply put, purpose is just the right thing to do. And doing the right thing should not require a business case.

If you’re trying to help your organization become more purpose-driven and you need help making the case, reach out to us. We’re happy to help.

Read our answer to the previous question. That should help a bit.

In addition…

If you’re a student of the public markets you’ll know they’re quite fickle. The vast majority of companies who were in the Fortune 500 60 years ago are no longer on the list (or no longer in existence).

If you look at other lists and indices you’ll see a similar phenomenon. And it’s much faster than 60 years.

Just think about your own life and how much it has changed over the past 3 years. Let alone 10 years.

So why change? Because if you don’t, you’ll be extinct. Soon.

Why purpose? Again, see our answer to the previous question on this page.

And consider the changes you’re seeing right in front of you over the past few years. You may not agree with all of them. You may not like all of them. But the world is undeniably on a journey toward greater justice. Toward greater caring and empathy. Toward a broader consciousness and sense of responsibility for the impact we have on those around us. Including—and perhaps especially—for businesses.

You have only to pick up a newspaper to see that business is being held to a higher standard by customers, citizens, regulatory bodies, and the media. Nearly every day brings a story about a company committing to greater environmental and social consciousness—or a story of a company feeling the wrath of the public for not having done so. The captains of industry are stepping up. Perhaps not as quickly and thoroughly as some of us would like, but nevertheless, they’ve read the writing on the wall and they are taking action.

Oh, by the way, do you actually still pick up a newspaper? Consider this:

In 1940, the total circulation of U.S. daily print newspapers was 41 million. That was 31% of the population.
In 2020, circulation was 24 million—down to 7% of the population!

And in case you’re thinking that 80 years is an awfully long time:

In 2000, circulation was 56 million—20% of the population.
In just 20 years, circulation of print newspapers in the U.S. decreased from 20% of the population to 7%.

Let’s look at it this way. In 1970, Milton Friedman wrote his now famous New York Times essay “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase Its Profits”. Back then, print newspaper circulation was at 30% of the U.S. population and people believed that the primary role of a company was to deliver financial returns to shareholders. About 50 years later, newspaper circulation is at a mere 7% of the population and the Business Roundtable and the World Economic Forum have repudiated Friedman’s Doctrine and declared that companies are responsible for having a positive impact on society and the planet.

Extra extra. Read all about it!

Yes.

See the answers to the two questions just above this one.

Short answer: Purpose-driven organizations tend to outperform their non purpose-driven peers.

Slightly longer answer: If your organization defines performance solely in terms of money, you’re headed for a very uncomfortable reckoning with a new reality. People and the social and political institutions that represent them are demanding greater responsibility, accountability, and morality from businesses. It might be time for your organization to reconsider your compensation system so it encourages not only financial performance but positive impact on people, communities, and the environment.

We’re not telling.

And you can’t make us!

Well we would never say this about ourselves, but we’re told we’re better looking. And that we smell better.

OK, literally nobody said this. But we can dream…

Real answer:

If you’re reading this, you’ve probably already noticed what’s different about us. Not just our cheeky banter hopefully, but our way of thinking.

1. We passionately believe that it’s our behavior that defines who we are. Not simply our words. We do help the organizations we work with write the pretty words. You gotta have the pretty words. But where we really shine is in helping organizations bring those words to life in their culture and in the market—from the daily behavior of individuals to the big moves the organization makes. This is a big deal for us. We have very little patience for organizations that treat purpose as an advertising or PR campaign. We’re here to help our clients become truly purpose-driven.

2. We take a psychologically-realistic approach to change. Too many change programs are designed as if the mere wishes of a senior executive can make change happen. Well, usually it’s the wishes of a senior executive plus some PowerPoint pages and a few fancy posters. See where we’re going here? Most change efforts fail because they’re designed as if human nature can be ignored. In our work, we understand that human nature will win every time. So we design for it rather than trying to circumvent it.

3. Many of us have spent a good portion of our career on the client side. We understand what it’s like. Nuff said.

4. We are deeply respectful of the culture of every client organization we work with. While we are in the change business, we never show up with the arrogant belief that we know better. We don’t. We believe you have the answer and it’s our job to help you find it, refine it, and rally your team and organization around it. We’re here to help the people and organizations we work with become better versions of themselves—to achieve their aspirations, not ours.

5. We run lean. We work with our friends (we have awesome friends). We staff teams with exactly the right expertise that the work demands. And not one bit more. You will never pay us for an army of people you’ve never met or heard of. We also don’t have a dedicated business-development team. So you won’t meet the A team and then have the work done by the B team.

6. We never write lists with more than 6 items. OK, we do sometimes. But not now.

No. Definitely not.

Yes. We’d love to. Let’s talk.

Yes. Wasn't that easy?

We love to speak about purpose and humanity at work—and most importantly how to bring these ideas to life in an organization.

Of course! We’re always up for a great craft beer and a chat about authenticity, purpose, culture, and brands.

If you're not a violent psycho, let's talk.

I'm flattered. And in a different world, maybe. But thankfully, I'm head over heels in love with my incredible wonderful wife. So I'm going to have to pass.

But that doesn’t mean you’re not amazing. You probably are. Clearly you have great taste in websites!

He hasn’t yet, but if you have bad taste and lots of money, let's talk.