Why People Commit to More Than the Next Sale
Most business owners want their people to care about the business.
They want leaders who take ownership, employees who care about customers, and a team that is willing to do what is needed when the business hits an important moment.
But how do you get people to commit to something beyond the work in front of them?
I think it starts with a question that every business needs to answer:
Why does this business exist beyond making money?
That question can have a meaningful influence on the decisions leaders make and the way people see their role in the business.
Purpose gives you a reason to choose
The Trusted Adviser exists to help improve the lives of small business owners.
That is more than a statement on my website. It has become a practical filter for the business decisions I make.
Over the years, I have had opportunities to work with larger organizations.
I have turned them down.
Working with a larger organization does not fit the reason The Trusted Adviser exists. More importantly, it takes capacity away from the people I am here to serve: growth-minded small business owners and their leadership teams.
If I spend that capacity working with a large organization, I have less capacity available to help a small business owner who needs it.
For me, the decision is pretty clear.
Purpose gives you a reason to say yes to some things and no to others.
That can be especially valuable as a business grows and the number of opportunities and decisions increases.
Why does your business exist?
For many small business owners, the answer comes easily when they are talking about what the company does.
We manufacture this.
We provide that.
We help customers with this.
Those answers describe the business.
Purpose goes one level deeper.
Why does the business exist?
A growing business will face plenty of decisions where the right choice is not obvious and understanding your Core Purpose helps in the decision process
A new customer may bring significant revenue but require the company to move in a direction that does not fit.
An opportunity may look attractive but take the team away from the people the company is built to serve.
A new product or service may generate sales but pull resources away from the reason the company exists in the first place.
When Purpose is clear, leaders have something to consider when making those choices.
Purpose gives people something bigger to commit to
Think about the people in your business.
They come to work to earn a living. They want to do good work. They want to be part of a successful company.
Those are important.
People also become deeply committed when they understand why their work matters.
If your company exists to make a difference for a particular group of customers, solve an important issue, improve something in your community, or provide an opportunity for people to build a better life, that gives the work a broader meaning.
People can see where their work fits.
A salesperson is not only trying to close the next deal.
A service team is not only completing the next job.
A leader is not only managing their department.
They are contributing to the reason the business exists.
Something bigger.
That is where Purpose can create commitment.
Put Purpose to the test with your leadership team
One of the simplest ways to see whether Purpose is understood across your leadership team is to ask the question without giving them the answer first.
Ask each person independently:
Why does our business exist?
Let everyone answer in their own words.
Then put the answers side by side.
Look at what is common.
Look at what is different.
You may find that your leadership team has a much stronger shared understanding than you expected.
You may also discover that people have been working toward the same goals while carrying different ideas about why the company exists.
That gives you something specific to discuss.
Then take it one step further:
How does our Purpose influence the decisions we make?
Think about a decision your company has made recently.
Did your reason for existing have any influence on the decision?
Would it have helped?
Are there decisions you are facing now where Purpose could give your team some direction?
This exercise moves Purpose from a statement to something your leadership team can use.
Purpose creates commitment
People are more likely to commit to something when they understand what it is and why it matters.
Your company Purpose gives people that starting point.
It tells your leadership team why the business exists, who it exists to serve and what gives the work meaning beyond the next transaction.
For me, that means choosing to focus The Trusted Adviser on growth-minded small business owners and their leadership teams.
For you, the answer will be different.
The important thing is that your leadership team knows the answer and can use it when the next important decision comes along.
Purpose creates commitment.
A question worth discussing with your leadership team
Why does our business exist, and how does that answer influence the decisions we make?
If your leadership team gives you four different answers, you may have found an important conversation to have.
Leadership Clarity Index
Purpose is one of the foundations of leadership clarity.
If you want to see how clear and aligned your leadership foundation is today, the Leadership Clarity Index can give you a starting point for that conversation.
