You don’t always achieve your goals by focusing on them directly. Sometimes a more indirect route is required to achieve success.
Last week I was working in the US and watched President Obama’s inauguration with some American friends and colleagues. Obama didn’t focus on economic statistics and the level of growth he wanted the US to achieve over the next four years.
Instead, he encouraged US citizens to choose a “better history” for the US and carry forward the gift that “all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to purse their full measure of happiness.”
Echoing Kennedy, Roosevelt and Lincoln, President Obama appealed to Americans’ belief in an enduring set of values. The reaction of my American friends was quite emotional and brought to the surface a real desire to help Obama create a better country and a more prosperous future.
The essence of President Obama’s approach can also be found in some of the world’s most successful companies.
In their book, “Built to Last”, Jim Collins and Jerry Porras discovered that enduring companies had a reason for existing over and above making money. They called this a company’s “Core Purpose”. 3M’s core purpose is described as “to solve unsolved problems innovatively”. WalMart’s declared mission: “Saving people money [so they can] live better.”
Conversely, and paradoxically, those companies that focus exclusively on profit generation and shareholder returns find it more difficult to build a sustainable and profitable business.
Purely financial goals cannot inspire an organisation or provide guidance on future direction or key decisions. Unlike President Obama’s address or 3M and WalMart’s goals, they do not speak to our deeper values or our sense of who we are.
Take our banks. It is clear that a contributory factor to their downfall has been “epic greed” — a disconnection with the impact they have on society and a myopic focus on profit growth.
What’s your core purpose, or the purpose of your team or organisation? The chances are that if it is purely financial you will have less chance of achieving and sustaining your financial goals than if a more indirect goal drives your actions.
