Brand purpose: It's not about you.
(This is the second in a series of posts detailing the four most important factors in clarifying your brand purpose.)
Try this. Tell me your organization's purpose without using 'we' or 'our'. No using terms like:
We are
Our goal
We have
Our ideal
We believe
It's tough. Because organizations naturally want to speak about their purpose in these terms. After all, it is their purpose.
What's the big deal, right? The most important thing is that you have a purpose. The words are just words.
Not so fast.
That kind of thinking leads to ideas that are more about the organization than about those that the organization hopes to serve. And a really great purpose is all about those you hope to serve. It is the difference you can make in a life, a community, and even the world.
If we don't pay attention to this critical point, it could mean the difference between your purpose flourishing and it being relegated to some plaque that hangs up in the corporate boardroom where it's all but forgotten.
Making it magical
If your purpose talks about you, it doesn't matter how well intentioned it is. It will come off as self serving. And people will have a hard time working up the enthusiasm to become an advocate for that purpose.
But make it about those you hope to serve and watch what happens. It can become magical. People can begin to see the difference you hope to make in their lives. Or they begin to see how they can join in to help make a difference in others' lives by helping to further your purpose.
A great example is Starbuck's purpose:
To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
There is no "we believe" or "our mission". It's focused on others. And the uplifting difference the organization hopes to make.
That's a purpose that people can get behind. Both inside and outside the company.
And it's why we should spend the time to really examine who it is our purpose serves. It can't just be about us. Not if we want to truly make a difference in our world.