See How Others Are Using Purpose as a Tool for Success

July 9, 2022

If we look back to our parents’ and grandparents’ generation of organizations, profits alone were often enough for a company to be deemed successful. Similarly, a paycheck was what mattered most to many employees and there was less talk of organizational culture. However, these days, there is a push for leaders to tie their organization to a deeper, rooted purpose — ensuring their employees (and even customers) understand and align with their mission. 

I recently posted on LinkedIn asking my connections to share ways their organizations harness a well-defined purpose to propel their companies and team members’ success. I was blown away to see the different ways businesses are prioritizing purpose over profit and the positive results they have seen because of it!

Below is a list of the themes I gathered from culture builders on LinkedIn. I hope you enjoy these leaders’ insights as much as I did.

Creating a Win-Win Scenario

Nathan Hodges shared how his company, eviCore Healthcare, believes profit and purpose go hand in hand, and there is a way to excel at both. They do this by constantly assessing purpose in addition to profit and re-basing their goals with the patient in mind. They believe that if you focus on profit over purpose, you often get neither. If you focus on purpose over profit, you often get both.

I love the concept of creating a win-win scenario for both purpose and profit! I’m sure eviCore’s employees and customers appreciate it as well. 

Emphasizing the Customer and Team Member 

Cassandra Dunning  explained that her company, Avenue South Orthodontics, focuses on being the best part of each person’s day. They emphasize working to care for the individual, not simply on creating profit. They achieve this by valuing relationships, paying attention, and asking questions about the person as a whole — not just about their dental needs. This has bled over into the care of their team members and has become a pillar of their business model. 

It is encouraging to see how Avenue South Orthodontics is actively prioritizing purpose over profit and ensuring the entire staff understands the company’s vision. This is an excellent way to create loyalty from their patients and an environment where their team members know they are a part of something bigger than just a paycheck.

Prioritizing the Bigger Picture 

Another great example of infusing purpose into an organization came from Lani Short, who works at the non-profit Freedom’s Promise. Lani explained how her company ensures the passion and heart for justice is evident within every single person they work alongside. They

believe their work changes lives daily, allowing the purpose and the “why” to shine through in their conversations, fundraising, business tactics, and overall culture.

I can tell that Freedom’s Promise is creating positive opportunities by threading their purpose throughout their work and conversations. It’s sometimes hard to make sure your purpose shines, but it will ultimately strengthen relationships and create loyalty from employees and partners. 

Making the Purpose Clear 

I loved hearing how Jimmy H. and his company, McGowan Global Institute, see the benefit of aligning the company with a deeper, rooted purpose. At MGI, they firmly believe that clear communication of the company’s purpose leads to increased employee performance and, thus, more profitability. They believe clear purpose notches up team morale, improves desire to perform better, and is essential to developing an excellent leader. 

I agree with Jimmy that purpose and profit go hand in hand. MGI understands that aligning their organization to a deeper, rooted purpose — and ensuring that their employees and even customers are bought into this purpose — is critical.

It’s clear how purpose mobilizes an organization in a way that profit alone cannot. Some of the most successful companies consistently thread purpose and values throughout their organization, and I am thrilled to see how these companies have used purpose as a tool for success.

Do you have a creative idea or way your organization emphasizes purpose? I’d love to hear from you! Reply to this email or join the conversation here on LinkedIn.

Together, we truly can build Unstoppable Cultures!

Sincerely,

Ginger

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