What is the Purpose of Purpose?
Short Bits - Purpose
Why your organisation should care.
It's one of the big buzz words of our time, isn't it just. One that I too am guilty of deploying happily and incessantly (duh, just look at the name of this blog).
But much like any good cliché, most buzzwords exist for a reason, either as a reflection of societal need or aspiration for the future. So, let's unpack this term in the context of your organisation's reputation management and business prospects shall we?
What is purpose?
Purpose is a declaration of intent. It can be expressed through a colourful array of vehicles: your company homepage, the topics you choose to comment on through your socials and the angles of your commentary, your thought leadership pieces and the experts you invite to collaborate with in the process, the kind philanthropic work you do, where you send your CSR contributions, the list goes on (there is another very significant vehicle, but I'll get to that later). Purpose is something through which you demonstrate your presence and awareness to the push and pull of current affairs around you. Purpose is you saying: I am here, and this is me (aka the organisational entity in question).
How can purpose be more than just bla bla?
Every company with even the tiniest shred of interest from the public eye towards its affairs has a vision/mission/values/purposes statement plastered all over its digital footprint. Everybody cares, at least on paper, about gender balance, environmental sustainability, diversity-equity-inclusion. But how can your organisation move from stating the obvious and paying lip-service to global betterment agendas to truly being accountable, to being of actual service and making your purpose work for you?
Every organisation is unique and your niche, operational and financial reach will determine the Environmental, Social and Governance projects you execute. Which is why I won't advise on what to do in a short blog post, that's a conversation to have 1-1 (note the call to action: call me.). One thing that we all have in common as organisations though, are the people that make our companies fly. And they are the key to de-blabla-ing ourselves.
Your purpose needs to be rooted in your company DNA, it needs to be more than just the way you tactically express it, in order to be authentic and believable. Your people are this DNA. Whether your purpose is as old as the ground coffee I found in the Italian AirBnB from which I am writing this post, or freshly revamped in the wake of business transformation, your people need to be on board. Need to allowed, neigh invited, to add their voices and values to the direction your company is taking. They are the sounding board to any leadership team dreaming of big things, your reality check, your authenticity police. Your people are your beta users, and the ones you have to convince first and foremost of the fact that your purpose and ambitions are true.
Without them onboard, there will be leaks. There will be exposure to your well-intended actions being called green/pink/white/blue/rainbow-washing. Without them, without truly seeding your organisation's purpose throughout every hierarchical layer, your company's actions can quickly bely your stated purpose. Behold: an ad run by the Snickers team in Spain this year (watch the clip before you continue reading). The same year that the parent company Mars Inc. ranked 100/100 for one of the most decorated equality indices out there: the Corporate Equality Index by the Human Rights Campaign. Oops.
An organisation can only ever speak with so much credibility. But have your people do the talking for you, willingly, freely, not as another one of your media-trained spokes-people, but as someone convinced they work in a place that reflects and broadcasts their values, and you will be golden.
Having authentic purpose is not the end-goal, it is an enabler.
Great, yay, congratulations! Your purpose is now authentic, you have eliminated all risk to your reputation and watch-dogs, in Kanye West's words, "Can't tell you nothin'". So easy right, like magic. But seriously, call me if you need help.
But the road doesn't end here. You have reached a stepping-off point. You now have a tool in your arsenal that signals sameness to others, something invites partnerships and allyship coming your way, instead of you having to chase it non-stop. And high-reputation, high-trust partners will always vet and scrutinise your organisational messaging for its authenticity before shaking hands. Break your silo, and move into partnerships head held high, knowing that your people have got your back. People that will want to join your company (hashtag talent acquisition) and will want to stick with it (hashtag talent retention).
Let's go get,
Tom Zamzow