A Note to Founders and CEOs

If you are leading an organization, and you’re wondering if it matters that you are crystal clear about your Purpose, about WHY you do what you do, consider this.

You are on stage. Eyes are on you 24/7/365. Employees and their spouses. Customers and clients. Prospects. Shareholders. They are asking themselves, and probably others:

Why should I follow you?

Why should I buy from you?

Why should I invest in you?

Open your board room and invite them in. Now give one answer to these three questions that will satisfy and resonate with everyone in the room. Could you do that? Could you unite these conflicting interests under one umbrella answer? Great compensation! Competitive prices! Maximum returns!

When your business is purely opportunistic, so are your stakeholders. They will come and go at the same pace of your opportunities, lagging by however long it takes them to discover you and then, when you are no longer relevant to their needs, realize that and leave. And that’s fine if that’s your intent. But more often than not, this dynamic isn’t planned. It just happens and you scramble to keep up in this transactional world.

But what if you could answer these three WHY questions with one answer. An answer that spoke to something deeper within these questions? That’s the intent of the Higher Purpose. A purpose that transcends and covers the special interests of every stakeholder who values this reason for being because it speaks to something they care deeply about, and is grounded in beliefs they agree are true.