This article was previously published in The Franchise Voice by the Canadian Franchise Association- A Bright Idea, Fall 2017
Have you heard all the hype about the importance of knowing your “purpose” and “core values”?? I used to think it was all ‘fluff’ until I started to peel the layers back on what high-growth companies – and individuals – do differently. And ironically, it became even more clear to me why our family business, M&M Food Market grew to over 450 locations across Canada.
Not only were we clear on our purpose, but we lived and breathed it by ensuring everyone from head office to employees on the front line knew why we existed, which was “To create a friendly food shopping experience that makes our customers say, ‘I’ll be back’”. When the unprompted customer said they’d be back as they walked out the door, we would secretly be high fiving each other once the coast was clear.
Once you get clear on what your purpose and core values are, and there are many ways to do this, from reading books like “Traction” by Gino Wickman to hiring a coach to help you dig deep, the next step is to make a plan on how you will live and breathe your P & CV every day.
Here are 3 QUICK TIPS on how you can breathe life into your “PURPOSE and CORE VALUES” every day:
1. When interviewing a new member for the team, whether an employee, franchisee or even supplier, share your purpose and core values. And ask them to share examples of how they live and breathe them in their daily lives or previous workplaces. If they can’t come up with anything, that might be a red flag regarding their alignment.
2. Start every meeting or huddle – whether in person, on the phone or video conference -with a review of your company’s purpose and core values. At the end of the call, ensure that the decisions made were in alignment and on track. If anything seems off, take the time to readdress and ensure there is alignment going forward.
3. Incorporate your purpose and core values into your branding and throughout your organization. This can be done on your website, your promotional materials and your business cards, for example. Many workplaces will splash their purpose and core values on a wall for everyone who comes in contact with the organization to be able to see.
The bottom line is that having clarity on your purpose and core values ensure that everyone is “singing from the same songbook”, as my dad likes to say 😉 When you are clear on this foundational component, it makes decision making easier and leads to exponential growth for people and businesses.
So to recap, my exponential growth tip today is:
Make a plan to ensure you live and breathe your PURPOSE and CORE VALUES every day!
If this gets your wheels turning and you’d like more information on how to start living and breathing your purpose and core values, reach out to me at angela@angelcote.com. Until next time….
GO BE AWESOME!
Cheers,
Angela COTE
Franchise Growth Catalyst