Consider a guy named James who goes to work every day filled with purpose, or a woman named Julia who has a deep-seated passion for what she does at the office. You want to hire them, right? Someone who feels that sort of calling is bound to inspire others, wouldn’t you think? The real question is: Are you a company that’s purposeful enough to reel them in?
There’s a wise old proverb that says, “If you want to find a true friend, then be one.” And we immediately notice how this way of thinking flips our culture’s desire to find happiness somewhere out there on its head. Good friends won’t last through the peaks and valleys of life without the tough stuff of personal sacrifice, honesty, give and take, and a shared commitment to growth. Friendships aren’t found under a rock or discovered in a haystack. Friendships are made. Like goes with like.
So, if we want to hire and retain purpose-driven employees, then we better be a purpose-driven company. And that means more than lip-service about company goals and mission statements. It’s more than logos and outdoor picnics. It means that at the core, we’re committed to looking beyond ourselves and can attract the kind of people who want to join something larger than themselves. People who want to show their colors, voice their organizational pride, and tell stories to their friends about how awesome it is at work.
If you want to determine whether or not your company is truly purpose-driven, then ask yourself the following questions. And if you can’t say yes to all of them, go to work on the areas where you’re falling short. A little pruning always helps plants grow.
- Have you crystallized your purpose into communications that inspire your people? Do you lead by example and motivate others to embrace your company’s pillars of purpose? Do you reward behaviors that align with your purpose objectives?
- Is your internal messaging authentic and personal and tailored to different audiences? Do you think about who they receive information from and where it is placed? Does your company’s purpose breathe life into the thread of daily communications?
- Have you backed your vision with the strategic weight it needs, including proper funding and staffing to ensure its success? Do you make an ongoing, long-term commitment to and investment in it?
Purpose starts from within. And in corporate culture, just like with personal friendships, like goes with like. So do the hard internal work that will ensure we’re a company that the guy named James or the woman named Julia is dying to work for.
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