At some point, a culture that is serious about what it intends must put those intentions in writing. That’s about a lot more than documentation. Declaring what you come to work for collectively amounts to a commitment. So many companies squander this opportunity in my view. They market what is happening rather than explaining it. They expand on what it means for the company rather than how it benefits the individual. They paint a process and not a picture.
Declaration should be the culmination of a journey that has taken people through a range of steps and emotions: from why change is needed and the opportunity that change could generate to the information that explains how decisions were reached and the incentives to push through reluctance.
A call to community
I love this explanation of storytelling from Christopher Maier, “Every time I tell a story, I am putting out a call to community. A story presumes a community of listeners who will recognize some experience that they have lived or can imagine living in the narrative. It is a call and response …” because it frames the articulation and the response to that declaration together. You receive what you get a response to.
Declaration is not broadcast in this context. It’s verification of decisions made. It’s the check-in with the culture that the business is good to go on this, and that for those who are not on board perhaps it’s time to leave. But as Shawn Callahan observes in this post, don’t call your declaration a “story” because in many cultures, people will interpret that as fiction. Instead Callahan suggests declare the relevance of your intentions. And follow that up quickly with the plausibility of such a view.
Don’t stop there. Go public.
Stating your intentions around where and how you want to see change in the world puts your culture on notice that your purpose is an open agenda not a closed one. It brings your customers onboard. It aligns what you’re saying internally with your public position. It gives you talking points. It should drive your editorial approach to content.
Get this right and as Hilton Barbour observes, “Brand purpose becomes a pivotal touchstone for customers and employees giving them a reason to say “this is why I choose this brand” and “this is why I choose to work here”. Purpose is why consumers will find a way to bring your brand into their lives. It’s certainly a deeper motivator than the functional, or even emotional, benefits we tend to cajole them with … Ultimately, today’s proliferation of me-too brands and fickle customers affords no marketing and brand leader the luxury of being without purpose.”
5 ways to declare
1. Stand for something the world needs a stance on and that you are in a position to influence, address, challenge or advocate for.
2. Connect what you compete for with what you believe.
3. Give your people clear roles in realising your purpose. State those connections overtly rather than leaving it to individuals or teams to work out how they fit.
4. Celebrate every advancement of your purpose internally.
5. Revolve your CSR around your purpose. Take ownership of closing the gap between where the world is now with this and where the world needs to get to. Report on you’ve got done and the impacts it has had. State what you are looking to change, when, by how much and where.
