We hear so much about brand and organisational purpose but I think that the nuances of how we bring this to life are often lost. In Accelerate, John Kotter (who also wrote Leading Change of-course) talks about purpose in the context of change and the difference between the idea of a 'burning-platform', and fear-driven change (which is often unsuccessful) and creating a positive, compelling, vision for the company that you want to be. Organisational purpose is often poorly articulated, communicated and understood. Or characterised by vague platitudes. Or not supported by leadership behaviours. And there's frequently a poor delineation between a company's purpose, its mission, its vision, and its values.
A powerful purpose can be a hugely motivating call to arms for staff and create exceptional competitive advantage, but this only really happens when employees don't just see the words on the walls of the company reception, but see it in the actions of the people and leaders around them and actually feel connected to it. The real value comes from connecting with hearts rather than minds.
In Give and Take, Adam Grant talks about his research with call-centre fundraisers at a university. When the fundraisers met with scholars that were the ultimate beneficiaries of their work, and heard the stories about the difference that the additional funding had made in the student's studies and their lives, it transformed how effective the fundraisers were. The real connection that had been created, and the ability to see the difference that they were making with their efforts had an immediate impact. They spent twice as long on the phone with potential donors and their weekly average donations total almost trebled. Spending only five minutes with the students was enough to make the difference. Yet interestingly, when the experiment was replicated but this time with the call-centre boss talking to the fundraisers and acknowledging the results of their work, the impact was nowhere near as stark.
Dan Cable talks about this research in this excellent conversation with Bruce Daisley over on the EatSleepWorkRepeat podcast, making the point that purpose is not about what the boss says it is. It is something that staff need to relate to in their own way, and make their own. So the trick is to find ways to personalise purpose. One of the simplest ways to do this is to put your people in front of customers and for them to actually talk to them rather than read about them in research reports or observe them remotely from behind a screen in a focus group lab. That opportunity to hear directly about the impact (good and bad) of what you're doing creates the kind of unique connection with the work that can't come from anywhere else.
So many businesses talk about being customer-centric, so few leaders actually get out of the office and meet with real customers.
