THE IMPORTANCE OF ‘THE WHY’
Kicking off after the CAPITALISE website refresh, I contemplated long and hard about what to blog about. Quite quickly I came to the conclusion that I had to talk about the all-important WHY!
As part of the work that went into the refresh of our website, I’ve been thinking about our story and why I set up CAPITALISE, why we exist, what’s our purpose and the aspiration I have for the company.
Don’t get me wrong the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ are also important but their role is to unpin the ‘why’. If you can envision your ‘why’ first, then the ‘what’ and the ‘how’ follow, connecting and feeding up into the delivery of the bigger picture aspiration - your purpose.
When we know our ‘why’, our reason of being, our bigger picture aim, we can then be clearer on our direction of travel, what to focus on, what really matters and it's the purpose that will keep us strong if the going gets tough, because it's bigger than who we are as an individual.
The ‘why’ is the most important question that all businesses should ask themselves and locking this answer down is probably one of the hardest, but most important things you can do as a business and an entrepreneur. Let’s take a brilliant business example in Bupa, a company I used to work for. Bupa’s reason of being, its purpose is LONGER, HEALTHIER, HAPPIER and we all lived and breathed this from the CEO down. There was this overwhelming belief that we were all playing a meaningful role, collaborating to achieve a world where everyone lived longer, healthier and happier lives.
For businesses, it’s articulating that bigger picture story that connects and resonates with people that work within it, that gives them a meaningful reason to step up, going that discretionary extra because they believe in what the company is striving to achieve.
For entrepreneurs and their businesses, defining their ‘why’, their reason for being is usually a feeling from the inside, it’s a whisper that you keep hearing, it’s a feeling that tugs at your heart and keeps pushing you in a certain direction. It’s what ultimately will encourage you to think and dream big and will also help you to stay on course. If you haven’t heard Steven Spielberg’s short video on this, then I’d recommend taking five minutes to hear it as he is a man truly 'on purpose'.
Driven by ‘the why’, your interconnected brand story becomes your essence and the bedrock of everything you do. It's the story that connects and converts clients and customers; and it's also a very useful and practical tool, your DMA – ‘decision making aid’, which guides you to make the right decisions.
I hope this has given you food for thought. As an entrepreneur or business, if you want to find out a little more how we can help work with you to create your story and embed it into everything you do, please go to our ‘working with you’ section or get in touch.