The Organization’s Why
It’s time for Organizations to take on Power of Why. Organizations that know and communicate their Why to employees and customers are more successful . They have higher levels of engagement and productivity.
Articulating our Organization’s Why” is not a new concept. In 2010 the book “Meaning Inc” found successful companies had a purpose (not making money, an outcome). In 2017 Start with Why…” found that great leaders know their WHY and inspire others to follow them and this makes for success.
The Power of Why
At Kitch we believe the Power of Why lies not only in clarity of your Organisation’s Why but in employees finding their own Why and their uniqueness too. Employees whose Why aligns with that of their Organization find work meaningful.
I have a deeply personal experience of the frustration that can come from working in an Organization that does not align with your personal Mission. It’s what inspired me to leave life as a Barrister in the U.K. to become a consultant/Coach to Governments. The justice system acted as a mechanism to minimise the negative effects of a persons ‘poor decision making’ and consequent deviant behaviour. I wanted to support positive change in the lives of individuals and Society’s not minimise negatives. I wanted to help people to change their limiting mindsets, so innovative solutions to Society’s problems could be developed. Idealistic yes. Yet that kind of idealism, combined with an avenue to walk it out, is precisely the Power of Why.
Organisations are not leveraging the Power of Why
So WHY aren’t organizations leveraging this power?
It’s not easy. It means being intentional about our Organisational culture; it means looking at values, principles and character. All the uncomfortable ‘personal’ things.
Culture shows whether our stated “WHY” is a sales gimmick or is authentic
Bridgewater Associates is a great example of a company who articulated their Why and then intentionally built a culture to support. They determined that the way to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships was to build a culture of Radical truth and radical transparency’..watch the video below to hear more.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqhg2Awrh88]
So how do you leverage the WHY of your employees? By helping them to develop their Personal Leadership Effectiveness (PLE ™) . This includes a key principle “March to a Mission’, that is understanding your why.
If the Power of Why is when personal and organizational Why’s align – imagine how that power is magnified if all employees, not just leaders, are aligned! Building a (PLE ™) culture can help organizations to achieve that.
Get in touch if you’d like to know more, info@kitch-cc.com