In a world of jobs, a workplace with purpose will count for more. Is there purpose in your workplace? I think this is something that will become more and more relevant to job seekers as the years go on. People want more than just a job. They want a place where they can thrive and align with the mission of the organization. A strong company has an identity, and a strong company with an identity is a competitive advantage. Why? Well, culture flows from identity. Who the company is, what it stands for is the start of a healthy company culture. Now, that’s not certainly all that there is to it, but it lays the foundation for where you want to go. And it’s famously said by Peter Drcker, Culture eats strategy for breakfast. The second reason why it’s important is identity will give someone something to attach to more than just a job. A company with a strong identity will attract people who seek purpose in their work. People who seek purpose in what they do are usually the best folks to have around. So if identity builds culture and helps attract and retain talent, what is it? Identity starts usually from the founder, but is frequently distilled into a few components, the mission, the vision, and core values.
The mission statement is what the company is here to do, not necessarily the how because the how can change, but the what and the why. These statements, if made properly, are short, memorable, will last decades. It’s not something you want to change every couple of years and will be something that you can work into all phases of an employment attention, training, onboarding, and really offboarding too. Vision is what the world will look like if your mission is successful. It is the future state that you might not ever get to, but it gives you a long term goal to look to. Core values are key components to building a workplace that is fulfilling the mission. This list of values can help you set your company apart and add to the character of your organization by encouraging certain behaviors among the team. So how do you go about implementing mission vision and core values? One, define them. If you’re the leader, this is your responsibility, but I encourage you to get feedback from your team and once they are solidified, write them down and make them available to others. Repeat it and make the idea sticky. Finding opportunities to repeat the mission statement, the vision statement, the core values will help it sink into the minds of those that are listening.
Repetition is important. And then make the idea sticky with graphics or mugs, shirts, hoodies. Making the idea sticky can help people remember what the statement is and help them reference it as they’re going through their working life. Make it part of the organization’s accountability. Use it as a structure for your annual report. Show the company how you use the mission statement to fulfill its goals this year. Allow your people to call you out for not following the core values. Reward those who do embody the core values. Make it a big deal. What’s measured is improved. Think about core values, mission, and vision this way. In an upcoming episode, we’re going to look at our company’s mission, vision, and core values. And if you want to talk about creating your company’s identity or making the ideas more sticky, shoot me an email. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Content Machine Podcast. If you found it helpful or interesting, please text it to a friend.
