Topic: purpose
Our bookmarks on this topic are also at pinboard.in/u:unison/t:purpose/
The Thought Leader Interview: Cynthia Montgomery
Thursday, March 21, 2013 · Topics: brand-strategy, purpose, strategic-planning
From strategy+business: A Harvard Business School professor observes that leaders become better strategists by engaging in conversations about the purpose of a company. In the video Cynthia Montgomery and Booz & Company partner Ken Favaro discuss why strategy needs to be reimagined, and how a leader can help define what a business is and why it matters. · Go to The Thought Leader Interview: Cynthia Montgomery →
The 3 essential elements of a rock-solid brand: purpose, values and style
Saturday, June 16, 2012 · Topics: brand-strategy, life-purpose, purpose
From Forty: Research cited in Built to Last (by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras) indicates that purpose-driven companies can outperform the general market by a 15 to 1 ratio. There’s a reason your company was founded. There’s a reason why you’re in the industry you’re in. There’s a reason why you’re not working for someone else. You need to dig deep, and find out what those reasons really are. · Go to The 3 essential elements of a rock-solid brand: purpose, values and style →
Finding your purpose
Saturday, June 16, 2012 · Topics: brand-strategy, life-purpose, purpose
From Shaina at Forty: If you’ve ever had to endure the pain of reading a typical mission statement, it probably included a bunch of dry and meaningless babble about “increasing shareholder value” or “providing the best customer service around.” That’s not a purpose. It’s not what drives them to get up in the morning, guides their decisions, or inspires their tribe. It’s what the CEO or board thought would sound good during their annual strategy meeting.
Purpose is powerful because it causes everything else to make a lot more sense. You no longer have to deliberate your goals for the next few years or the concept for your next campaign. You don’t have to figure out what qualities you’re looking for in a new employee or how to train them to do their job right. You don’t even have to think twice about how you should handle that really angry call from a customer you’ve been avoiding. Why not? Because the path is illuminated for you when you’re driven by a deeper purpose. · Go to Finding your purpose →
To get to the root of a hard problem, just ask “why?” five times
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 · Topics: purpose, questions
From FastCompany: In The Lean Startup, Eric Ries argues that returning to the question of why five times cuts to the quick of a problem. · Go to To get to the root of a hard problem, just ask “why?” five times →
How to find your individual design voice
Monday, December 12, 2011 · Topics: design, design-theory, life-purpose, purpose
From Robert Bowen at noupe: In the design world, volumes have been written advising the newbs, and those with some established street cred, on the ins and outs of being a top shelf designer, and many of these posts will either be focused on or at least include a brief mention of finding your own voice. Your individual style that will give your work that unique and distinctive edge most crave. However, in stark contrast, there is actually very little offered or written on how to achieve this. Only mentions of its importance. Enter this post. · Go to How to find your individual design voice →
What’s your intention?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 · Topics: customer-experience, intention, purpose
From 1to1 Blog: One aspect of customer experience that’s often overlooked is intention. If, for example, a company advertises its support of a charitable organization, is its intention to truly help that organization by getting customers involved, or is it simply looking for an “easy” sales boost from socially conscious customers? If the company doesn’t make clear that it’s the former — a customer experience plus — their flawed intention will potentially damage customer relationships instead of improve them. · Go to What’s your intention? →
Another way to stay stuck — compromise your vision
Friday, November 11, 2011 · Topics: creative-tension, purpose, stuck, vision
From Michele Martin: Robert Fritz, in his excellent book, The Path of Least Resistance, says that the energy for creation comes from the tension between our vision for what we want and the reality of our situation. When the tension between vision and reality is low, we do not have sufficient energy to create something new. When we deny reality, as I discussed yesterday, we are reducing the tension in the situation. But we also reduce tension and the energy for creation when we compromise our vision. · Go to Another way to stay stuck — compromise your vision →
Why your company needs a quest
Friday, October 14, 2011 · Topics: life-purpose, org-change, org-development, purpose
From American Express Open Forum: People perform amazing feats when they have a purpose. Here are the five higher benefits of having a quest. · Go to Why your company needs a quest →
