The purpose beyond
3 reasons why you should work on it
The other day one of my closest friend, an HR passionate as well, and I were talking about this topic: “We all know that companies are created with the purpose of making money, but what is the reason that we choose a particular business to make money”. Well, we are humans after all who need the currency to provide for ourselves, but we also are passionate beings who need something that inspires us to keep putting ourselves in what we do every day.
People want to see the impact of their work, they want to create change and they want to be part of a cause. Marx’s idea that we find ourselves and become humans while we work is making a comeback now. We leave a piece of us in all the tasks we do, so we want that to count.
We are talking all the time about culture; about if possible employees are a “good fit” for our companies, even though now we feel more the need to hire for culture add. Regardless, it is important to keep in mind that for these candidates to be a good fit, they need to believe in what we make and create. People working at Google are looking to impact the world by “organizing the world’s information and making it universally accessible and useful”. And those who choose to work at MercadoLibre, the biggest e-commerce in Latam, believe in the idea of democratize e-commerce and provide a level playing field to sell and buy, regardless of the size of the venture or company.
The purpose will be what guides our people’s work, is the main reason for their efforts. Guusje Bendeler says, “Purpose functions (…) as a north star, as one overarching, ultimate goal that guides the company”. It doesn’t only have impact on employees but on all the stakeholders that form, in some way or another, the organization.
In 2015, Harvard released The Business Case for Purpose saying, “most executives believe purpose matters. 89% of executives surveyed said a strong sense of collective purpose drives employee satisfaction; 84% said it can affect an organization’s ability to transform, and 80% said it helps increase customer loyalty”. At this time, 44% were still working on developing one.
This year forbes also writed about this topics, stablishing that “A clearly defined purpose allows an employee the chance to work with the goal in mind. This goal-based operation is useful to the organization since it keeps the employee on track.”
Why should we work on our purpose then? Here I let you know my reasons:
1. It creates a better relationship with the employee and it helps to thrive their talent.
If they believe in the reason behind they work, if they can see a true impact, they will become more engaged and looked to be more productive. As Dr. Timothy J. Giardino, from BMC Software, said, “Much like rowers in a boat, the more aligned and in sync employees are around an organization’s purpose, the further, faster and more efficiently they’ll arrive there.”
It doesn’t only make the more productive, Bain & Company study revealed that the productivity level of an employee truly inspired by the purpose is as high as 225%, it also keeps them in the boat. People who believe in what they do won’t be as tempted to go to other company for some increase in their salary or for a new benefit.
2. It constructs a powerful and strong culture, and helps innovation.
If the people is aligned to the purpose, they will know how to make the right decisions, because they’ll have the answer to “why”, what according to David Windley from IQ Talent Partners, provides guidance for decision-making.
Inspired employees, feel they are part of an incredible team, learning and growing, and making a real impact. This provides the necessity to be more creative, to improve the processes and make them more efficient in order to get more results. It helps them to think out of the box, because it is worth it. Harvard Business Review sees this level as perhaps the equivalent of Maslow’s self-actualization state.
3. It helps your brand; your employees become your ambassadors.
Who knows you company, your culture, and your values better? When the people working believe in all this, they will want to promote the brand, not only for future possible employees but also with potential clients.
Purpose-driven employees will act as promoters they will propel external marketing. They feel pride and love, and they will want everyone to see and feel the same way for the brand.
For me, one good example of this is WeWork, they have created a culture, a purpose and values that the employees want to share with the world.
So where you we start?
