Does your org need a purpose filter?
How do you stop your values from dying, unloved in a dark corner of the intranet?
How do you make your purpose more than words on a memo?
At Broom & Moon, we take a three-step approach:
Uncover: talk to employees to uncover the right purpose and values
Articulate: express what people tell you in their language
Embed: make your purpose and values central to everyone’s day-to-day decision making
All the three stages are vital if you’re to land on — and then live — a purpose and values that feel real and relevant.
But of the three, the third stage is arguably the hardest. Embedding your purpose and values into every team’s work entails an ongoing commitment from people across the organisation.
It starts with role-modelling by senior leadership. If they’re seen to be living the purpose and values, then the rest of the organisation is more likely to follow suit.
But you’ll also want people at all levels of the organisation to live your purpose and values. And, here, a purpose filter can help.
A purpose filter is an internal checklist that teams use to make decisions — whether it’s creating new products or adopting a change in strategy.
A great example is Weight Watchers, who used a purpose filter to shift their strategy toward a more holistic view of wellness.
The starting point for the filter was a new mission statement, “inspiring healthy habits for real life”.
Through a series of questions, teams were encouraged to assess any new project or decision against this statement.
For example, did the proposal inspire? Did it encourage healthy habits?
Each part of the mission statement was broken down into a series of questions that further encouraged people to think more deeply about the mission — and to document that thinking.
For example, under “We inspire”, questions included: “Will this inspire people to make progress?” and “Will this help us build an aspirational brand?”. You can see what the purpose filter looks like here.
By working through the checklist, WW employees could determine how far a particular proposal did (or did not) align with the mission statement.
And one big shift that resulted from the new mission was a decision to eliminate artificial ingredients from WW-branded products.
Proof that a clear mission statement and a plan for bringing it to life can lead to profound change.
Talk to us about developing a purpose filter for your organisation.
