The Power of Purpose

Let’s talk about organisational purpose, the thing that joins head with heart, connects colleagues, and expresses the influence and impact of your business on the world around you.

It’s never been more important to create a real, human connection that transports your people away from the day-to-day and helps them think more about the bigger picture – no matter what your business does.

Here at McCann Synergy, we’ve always believed that people have the power to imagine, inspire, encourage, drive and create change in the world. And as we plan for our Next Normal, it’s time to focus your people with the power of purpose.

For many businesses, it’s easy to publish your purpose and make it visible for the world to see. But what makes it real is following through and letting it guide the choices you make. With Coronavirus impacting nearly every business across the world, it’s easy to overlook any commitments you’ve made to your customers and people. Although staying afloat and making a profit may feel like the only priorities at the moment,  employees, customers, suppliers and communities are carefully watching every move – and they’ll have long memories.

Right now, employees are considering what’s really important to them. Now, more than ever, they need to feel a sense of belonging and purpose, which means employers must recalibrate their meaningful role and put this at the heart of everything they do.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Reset and realign

Your purpose isn’t just something for the world to see, it needs to play a meaningful role in the lives of your people and customers, shining through everything you do. A compelling narrative or manifesto is a strong starting point to bring what matters back into focus, reminding your people and the world of who you are. Our ‘start with why’ workshop helps articulate your purpose in an authentic and compelling way, outlining the opportunities to demonstrate it across your employee experience.

2. Ask difficult questions

Ask yourself, are your actions consistent and true to who you are? If the answer is yes, you’re already halfway there. But if it’s a no, the reason why needs to be addressed. Workshops are a strong starting point – get as many people involved to discuss what’s shining true, what messages aren’t, and what needs to be realigned.

3. Start with why

It’s not just important to communicate the decisions you’ve made, but why you’ve made them and the rationale behind them. Engage your people with every decision you make. They may not be happy with some of them, but if they can understand why you’ve had to make these decisions and can see they connect back to the reason you’re all here, they’ll know you’re staying true to who you are.

4. Embed your purpose

Your purpose needs to shine through in everything you do, and it needs to be meaningful in the day-to-day lives of your employees. Now is the ideal time to share the stories of your colleagues who are living and breathing your purpose, celebrate successes and recognise effort – of both your superstar colleagues and teams as a whole. 

5. Get your employees involved
   

Purpose-driven organisations often have higher levels of employee engagement. So share your plans, get your colleagues’ input and engage them in decisions – even the tricky ones. Town halls are a great opportunity for colleagues to speak their mind and make a real impact on the decisions, while employee surveys will uncover how your people are really feeling.

Get going

Our ‘Start with Why’ workshop helps articulate your purpose in an authentic and compelling way, outlining the opportunities to demonstrate it across your employee experience. 

Get in touch with our Director Nicky to find out more: nicky.clark@mccannsynergy.com