Hey Morris, when my CEO talks about the purpose of the company I get really inspired, but the executives I work for are just interested in making the numbers. I never hear them talk about purpose. Is all the talk about purpose marketing BS?
-Disillusioned.
Hey Disillusioned,
It could be marketing BS, but I think you’d be savvy enough to figure that out already. So let’s give your leaders the benefit of the doubt.
I’ve come across a lot of people feeling the same way you do in the past. A company needs to have both a strong purpose and a strong business; without both, it will likely fail. You need to accept the fact that both are needed for your company to remain healthy.
However, what you described sounds like the purpose isn’t being translated into something that’s relatable to the business – more specifically, how the numbers indicate the success at which your company is fulfilling its purpose. When executives only focus on the achievement of targets, the purpose of a company can become seemingly detached from the business.
Here’s what I’d do: at your next 1:1 with your manager, probe his understanding of the company’s purpose and its relationship with KPIs. Try to frame the KPIs in a way that you think indicates how successful the company is in achieving the purpose and see if he agrees. It’s not important that you get it right, but your attempt is meant to be a springboard to a meaningful discussion between you and your manager to understand how the target you’ve been given contributes to the company’s purpose.
Depending on how complex the organization is, and what your role is, you may have to be patient before you fully understand the link(s). However, if the discussions don’t convince you, then perhaps the link is missing.
This can happen when there isn’t buy-in throughout management, or the leaders don’t know how to bridge the gap between purpose and execution. Whatever the reason, if you’re there for the purpose and you don’t understand how what you do moves the needle, then you may want to consider taking a job elsewhere.
At the same time, if there is indeed a gap, it may be a good opportunity for you to be the one who bridges that gap. Typically, people who are able to do this are highly valued because they’re able to align the company’s purpose with business actions – and in doing so unleash the full potential of a company’s resources. You need to be clear about where the links are missing and how you’d bridge the gaps. Think of concrete examples where you can reasonably make a difference, but don’t dwell on why the links aren’t there – this could create enemies.
Take your idea to the CEO, tell her that she inspires you, but that the purpose is too far removed from what you do and how you’d like to help her change that. If the CEO is purpose-driven, she will pay attention when one of her people, especially if you’re not a direct report, identifies a problem like this and volunteers to solve it. If she doesn’t respond to your thoughts, then you’re probably not going to see eye-to-eye on this issue, which may mean that this isn’t the right company for you in the long run.
Good luck with getting to the bottom of this and hopefully making a strategic contribution for your company in the process.
Is there something on your mind?
Please send it to questions@heymorris.com and I’ll do my best to be helpful in a future post.
Hey Morris 