Recently, I was a working with a client helping them create a new purpose statement. Something every business should think about and what I enjoy helping them with. During the process, we discuss many statement examples which posed some great questions. Most important, how to connect every job role, including support roles that operate behind the scenes, to the businesses’ purpose statement.
As you go through the process, I thought I would share with you three important components which must be a priority when creating your own purpose statement. Ask yourself these three questions about your purpose statement.
- Is It Relevant?
- Does It Relate To Everyone’s Job?
- Is it Clear or Just a Catchy Phrase?
Is It Relevant?
The most effective mission, vision, and purpose statements are written in a way that is authentic yet may not relate to every job role within the business or organization. If these guiding statements are too vague, they may not relate equally to all levels of your business. Many employees may feel that your existing purpose statement may be viewed with skepticism as being too far removed from their day-to-day job responsibilities.
Take, for instance, Kroger’s Grocery’s purpose statement: “To feed the human spirit”. While it sounds great, enlightening and noble, does it really pertain directly to the job role of, say, an employee whose responsibilities include sacking groceries, stacking shelves, bringing carts inside the store from the parking lot, or cleaning up the occasional spill? Do you think a manager can inspire and remind an employee who is mopping up a spill on aisle 10 by telling and thanking the employee for demonstrating the job purpose of “Feeding the human spirit?” Perhaps not.
A better example is Deloitte’s (a professional services and accounting firm) purpose statement: “To make an impact that matters.” This purpose relates and applies to every job role in the organization. Whether one is client facing, as a consultant, or works behind the scenes as an analyst, support staff, engineer, or developer. The purpose stateement is authentic and applies to everyone in the company, regardless of region, division, department, or job role.
Does It Relate to Everyone’s Job?
Every person’s job role in your business or organization should reflect on the contribution made by the employee in support of reaching your purpose.
I use to be a manager for Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, earlier in my career. I’ve always admired their purpose statement: “To care for people so they can be their best”. This purpose applies to every job role, whether a housekeeper, laundry attendant, front desk agent, restaurant server, maintenance engineer, human resources director, or general manager.
Here are a few examples where every role contributes in a special and unique way to the Hyatt’s purpose statement: “To care for people so they can be their best.”
A housekeeper contributes to the purpose by ensuring that the early-morning alarm set by the previous guest is deactivated so as not to interrupt the guest’s sleep—so they can be at their best that day.
A catering services employee contributes by making sure the markers that accompany the flip chart in the meeting room are fresh, rather than dried out or dry-erase markers that appear faint by comparison—so the presenter can be at their best.
A maintenance employee contributes by verifying that everything is in working order (in the guest room and throughout the facility) such as the WiFi, guest room shower heads or health club equipment—so the guest can be at thier best.
Don’t Settle On Catchy Phrases
When determining the purpose of a job role, don’t settle for the obvious. An example is United Airlines’ purpose is “Connecting people. Uniting the world.” This purpose applies universally across many job roles. Whether a pilot who connects passengers between points of origin and their destinations, a mechanic who keeps planes in service, or a reservations agent who facilitates a complicated itinerary, all reflect the airline’s reason for being—to connect people and, in doing so, unite the world. Sounds great right?
But what about an employee who works behind the scenes to ensure passengers are reunited with their baggage at their final destination? To me, it’s wierd to say that baggage handlers’ single highest priority at work is to “connect people and unite the world”. Connect people with their bags? Maybe. Reunite passengers with their bags? Possibly. But does their catchy statement of connecting people and uniting the world really apply? Probably not.
Rather than settling for a catchy phrase, let’s look at one way to approach this and take a look at the baggage handler’s job role and ask “why” multiple times.
Question 1 – Why do you route baggage from the terminal to the correct airplane? Answer 1 – “To ensure passengers don’t become separated from their belongings”.
Q2 Why is it important that passengers don’t become separated from their belongings? Answer 2 “So they have access to their belongings at their final destination.”
Q3 Why is it important that they have access to their belongings at their final destination? Answer 3 “So they can accomplish the objective of their trip, whether business or leisure.”
Q4 Why is it important for them to accomplish the objective of their trip? Answer 4 “To support our customer’s travel success.”
Now, you have drilled down to an area that reflects baggage handler’s job purpose. In particular, the connection between the efficient handling of baggage and customers’ ability to achieve their personal or professional goals. Wouldn’t you agree that a baggage handler’s single highest priority at work is: “To support our customers’ travel success.”
This statement guides all employee’s behavior, prompting them to be observant, pay special attention to details, display a sense of urgency, handle with care, follow up, and, in a few words, simply care. By getting to the higher purpose of the job role, you contribute to your true purpose (the why element of a job role).
It is important to connect every job role, including support roles that operate behind the scenes, to the organization’s purpose. When considering how to accomplish this, get everyone or as many as possible from different areas in your business and organization involved and participating in this process. This way you will make sure it is relevent, applies to every employee’s job role so everyone contributes. And you don’t settle for some catchy phrase or the obvious. Know that this process will help you to dig to get past job functions and to get to the higher purpose of the job role. Now that would be “MAGICAL”!
If you would like some help with this or to schedule a discovery call to discuss your existing purpose statement or creating a new one, contact me today. https://go.oncehub.com/DiscoverySessionCall