When you think of companies that you’d love to work for (besides your current one, of course!) what companies do you think of? If you’re like me some of the companies on your list might include:

• Southwest Airlines: (I love the unconventional pre-flight safety briefings and the fun atmosphere on their flights!)
• Google: (Free meals. Ping-pong tables. Dog-friendly.)
• Twitter: (Free yoga classes. Free meals. Sense that what they’re doing is changing the world.)
• Patagonia: (Focus on work-life balance. Flex time. “Green.” Fitness benefits.)

I know that some of you might be thinking, “That’s great and all but Google can afford to give their employees free food, I can’t do that!” Or, “I have to staff an office seven days a week, I can’t give people flex time!” Or, “I don’t want to bring in ping-pong tables and free beer!”

And if you are thinking this, I get it! Creating the kind of corporate culture that inspires and ignites success doesn’t have to be about yoga, couches in the conference room and hoodies and jeans everyday. 

However the one thing that all of the companies above (and on your list) share in common is a belief that there is a Common Purpose that unites everyone. In my leadership classes (shameless plug alert!) I say that the sign of a high-performance team is that it is obvious that everyone is working together towards a Common Purpose that everyone has bought into and believe in. 

Beyond the Vision Statement

One of the biggest culture killers is a vision statement that makes people think, “What a bunch of crap!” when they read it! When working with companies I’ve often said there is often what you’ve put on your vision or mission statement, and the REAL purpose that the company is about. 

Let me give you an example…

Recently there has been a large banking company that has been engulfed in a major scandal. On this company’s website these are the values (or Common Purpose, as I would call it) that drive the company:

• People as a competitive advantage
• Ethics
• What’s right for customers
• Diversity and inclusion
• Leadership

However, the common purpose that really united the company weren’t these values, it was the saying “Eight is Great!” The CEO wanted eight products (bank accounts and credit card accounts) for each customer. This mantra became the guiding force for associates pressured by their leaders to hit quotas, and by the leaders doing the pressuring! 

Employees eventually created 1.5 million fake bank accounts and 500,000 unauthorize credit cards applications in an attempt to hit their goals. Eventually this bank was levied a fine of $185 million and its name dragged in the mud. The Washington Post recently listed this company as the least trusted company in America!

Ouch. 

Southwest Airlines

As a frequent traveler, Southwest is my usual “go-to” airline for many reasons (some of which I detailed in this blog post, and I can tell you from experience that one of the overriding Common Purpose in that culture is to have a “Fun-LUVing Attitude” and it shows in their associates! People love flying Southwest and their employees love working for them.

It’s “Get Real” Time!

If you want to create a culture of success, you need to get real, right now, about what your culture is all about. And when I say culture this can mean the entire company, a region, portfolio, department, team, task-force, whatever group you’re leading or a part of, right now!

• So what is your culture really about? 
• What unifies everyone? 
• What drives everyone?
• Is it really the mission statement, or vision, or values or is it something different? 
• What would your associates say drives the bus in your company?
• In other words, what is the real COMMON PURPOSE?

If you’re on the right track, keep going! If you realize that your real common purpose is not what you want it to be, you can “do a 180” and change things. The next action step for you then would be to ask yourself, “What do I want the common purpose to be?” 

The Bottom Line

All successful companies have a common purpose that inspires, motivates, encourages and sustains the people in the organization. If you want to have a culture of success, you need to know what the Common Purpose is, and your people need to know it too!

Read Part One

Read Part Three

Read Part Four