What motivates you? ... Is there a
purpose to your business career beyond making money?
A company that wants to achieve more
than just making money understands the difference between its
mission, which is tactical, and its purpose, which is why the
company exists.
Think about Starbucks - its mission
is to sell coffee, lots of coffee; but its purpose is to provide a
place, other than home or office, where customers can visit, connect
and meet up with others. Fulfilling that purpose has resulted in
significant profits for Starbucks.
Many of the large companies that have
faltered over the past two years appear to have lost their purpose,
if they ever had one. Some of the mega banks and other large
financial institutions are prime examples. Their whole approach to
business appeared to have been profits at all cost - profits for the
company and profits for the executives. The company culture became
all about how much money they could make and how fast they could
make it.
Today, many customers are flocking to
local banks because these banks still have a sense of purpose, and
that gives the clients a sense of importance beyond just being
depositors. Monarch Bank, a local institution in Hampton Roads,
Virginia, is one of those banks. How they describe their purpose
says it all: "Building lasting relationships through exceptional
service." That idea permeates the culture of its branches and is
instilled in all its employees. The bank is, of course, interested
in profits too, but having a purpose beyond making money seems to be
making a difference for it as it grows while others fail.
In his book "Punished by Rewards,"
Alfie Kohn stated: "Study after study has shown that intrinsic
interest in a task - the sense that something is worth doing for its
own sake - typically declines when someone is given an external
reason for doing it."
Financial incentives actually can
squash motivation, pulling an individual or a company exclusively
toward mission and profits ... and away form purpose.
True motivation starts with having a
well-thought-out purpose, using that purpose to create a mission,
and then establishing appropriate goals to achieve both mission and
purpose.
If you want to know your purpose, try
this simple exercise requiring only a pen and one piece of blank
paper. At the top of the page write Innate Talents. About one-third
of the way down the page, write Leadership Brand. Two-thirds of the
way down the page, write My Purpose.
Under Innate Talents, list three to
six talents that you believe you have. Keep them simple; short
phrases or one-word descriptions are good. For example: writing,
teaching, creating, building, selling, technological genius and
leadership, to note a few.
Under Leadership Brand, write the
words that come to mind when you think of yourself in a leadership
position. List three to six descriptions of your leadership style.
For example: inspirational, lead by example, transformational, good
works, organizational.
Finally, take your time and review
what you wrote under the first two headings. Now, under My Purpose,
try to describe your purpose in life in one phrase or sentence,
keeping your talents and leadership brand in mind. There should be a
consistent theme running through these.
Perhaps that exercise gave you a
revelation about your mission and purpose. If your purpose, mission,
leadership brand, and talents align with one another, then you will
be unstoppable in any other part of the business world. And if that
doesn't motivate you, then no amount of money or rewards will
either.
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Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights
reserved.
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