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We’ve all heard the saying, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” As a history buff, I find this quote, typically attributed to Alexander Hamilton, to stand out to me.
Apply this motto on a personal level, and you will determine what is important to you. That is your purpose, and it should be the largest driving factor in your vision, affecting every decision along the way.
Purpose is just as essential in running and growing a business. Companies need to have something that brings both employees and customers together and is bigger than the business itself. By advocating for a greater purpose, you can propel your vision and business forward and establish yourself and your company as industry leaders.
Related: The Most Revolutionary Products Don’t Come From ‘Eureka’ Moments. Here’s What You’re Not Seeing
Find your purpose
No matter the industry, there is a reason that your business exists. The company has developed a product that makes people’s lives easier, or it provides a service people need. For Starkey, our purpose is our reason for being: We build caring products that connect people through better hearing. That purpose is part of our greater vision to be the best in the world, to have better hearing, and to help people live better lives.
We believe business should be about helping people, and the cornerstone of a successful business is caring about others.
If you don’t have a purpose that comes to mind immediately, start with your people. Why do they show up every day? What motivates them to do their job well? Ask those questions to determine the purpose of driving your business.
Your purpose should never have anything to do with your profits. When you determine your company’s authentic purpose, you will unlock the power and potential of your people.
Rally your team around your purpose
Once you know your purpose, make sure it is clear to everyone on your team. When you share your vision, you must incorporate your purpose into your goals and update everyone on the progress that’s been made frequently, whether it’s in all-staff meetings or quarterly updates.
We are leading our industry because our team believes in our purpose. We are building caring technology that connects people and the world around them. Pushing the limits of hearing technology to provide more care is our rallying cry. That is how we have been able to achieve the seemingly impossible. We are going beyond selling hearing aids and helping people live better, healthier lives.
Every employee should feel connected to the purpose and want to rally behind it. Great leaders turn their vision and purpose into a movement backed by their team, who are motivated to work toward something bigger than themselves and bigger than the business.
Related: Why Your Purpose Changes Over Time and How to Embrace It
Turn your purpose into advocacy
How you advocate for your company’s purpose is almost as important as the purpose itself. Advocacy brings your whole industry together, as do competitors alike. Advocacy is recognizing that we can help more people when we work together.
In the hearing industry, our advocacy is all around the stigma associated with hearing loss and wearing hearing aids. On average, it takes people five to seven years to address hearing loss. We can’t achieve our purpose without eliminating the stigma. That is something that takes time and effort. It also means being comfortable with the uncomfortable.
To eliminate the hearing aid stigma, we have taken several steps, including calling out the media for using outdated stock images that don’t accurately represent what hearing aids look like. The big, bulky devices shown frequently in news stories look like they are decades old. Today’s hearing aids are sleek, technology-packed devices to help people live healthier lives.
There’s pressure in taking something that means so much to the business, like its purpose, and turning it into a movement, but the pressure is a privilege. Starkey has also taken to social media and has rallied our team and hearing health leaders across the industry to share about the advanced technology features. They are advocating for our purpose and sharing how we are turning hearing aids from “need-to-wear” devices to “want-to-wear” hearing tech.
To be an industry leader, it takes courage to do something different. If you don’t want to change, you have seen your best days. Take your vision and your passion for your purpose, rally your team and advocate for your purpose authentically, and you can have a tremendous impact on your business and your industry.
We’ve all heard the saying, “If you stand for nothing, you’ll fall for anything.” As a history buff, I find this quote, typically attributed to Alexander Hamilton, to stand out to me.
Apply this motto on a personal level, and you will determine what is important to you. That is your purpose, and it should be the largest driving factor in your vision, affecting every decision along the way.
Purpose is just as essential in running and growing a business. Companies need to have something that brings both employees and customers together and is bigger than the business itself. By advocating for a greater purpose, you can propel your vision and business forward and establish yourself and your company as industry leaders.
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