Why Your Business Why Needs Updating
Attend any business networking event or conference and at some point Simon Sinek’s book ‘Start With Why’ will be mentioned. (You can watch his TED talk here). Sinek argues that every business knows what they do, and how they do it, but few know why they do what they do. Why stems from your belief system and your values, and it drives your behaviour. Why gets you out of bed in the morning and gives purpose to your work.
Your business why underpins all your business activities, from how you source your raw materials to how you communicate with customers. Similar businesses will have different ‘whys’ that motivate and guide them. For example, if you make breakfast cereal, your why might be a commitment to nutrition; or a desire to trade ethically with farmers and producers; or to make healthy food affordable to all.
If your business is facing challenges, it’s helpful to return to your why as that will help to guide you to solutions that resonate with your values, ethics, and motivations.
However, a business why is not set in stone and you should periodically review your ‘why’ to check that it’s still valid. When considering transformational change in your business, it will be instructive to reconsider your business why, and whether it’s still relevant.
There are several reasons why a business why might change:
1. The world has changed
If you manufacture cigarettes or tobacco, and your business why is to provide a sophisticated product for your customers’ enjoyment, you might revisit this in light of studies linking tobacco smoking to cancer and to the decreased social acceptability of smoking. Your why does not have to change – it’s perfectly acceptable to reconfirm it – but it might need tweaking. Perhaps in the years of trading you have become concerned not only with your customers’ enjoyment of your product, but also about trading ethically with tobacco producers. In this example, you might well add ethical trading to your business why.
2. Technology has changed
Technology moves on at a rapid pace, and if your business why is closely linked to technology, it might no longer be relevant. If your mission is to see a fax machine on every desk, or a record player in every bedroom, your why needs updating. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean scrapping it altogether. Dig into your why and you might find a deeper kernel such as ‘making music accessible to all’, or ‘we believe everyone should be able to communicate quickly, cheaply, and efficiently’. Use these nuggets to craft a new business why.
3. You’ve achieved your mission
If your why is ‘a phone in every pocket’, you might well stand back and realise that you’ve achieved it. In which case, it’s time for a new business mission and a new business why. Again, don’t discard the old mission – it shows your values and ethics, and can be used to explore and define your new mission and raison d’etre.
Businesses change and adapt. A strong why that articulates your vision, ethics and beliefs will inform and steer those changes, but it’s important to revisit your why and ensure it really does state what motivates, inspires and moves you. After all, your why underpins everything you do and how you do it. If your why feels dated or not as inspirational as it used to, be bold and redefine it. You don’t want to be the number one maker of horse buggy whips when the motor car industry is starting to take off.
Your business why underpins all your business activities, from how you source your raw materials to how you communicate with customers. Similar businesses will have different ‘whys’ that motivate and guide them. For example, if you make breakfast cereal, your why might be a commitment to nutrition; or a desire to trade ethically with farmers and producers; or to make healthy food affordable to all.
If your business is facing challenges, it’s helpful to return to your why as that will help to guide you to solutions that resonate with your values, ethics, and motivations.
However, a business why is not set in stone and you should periodically review your ‘why’ to check that it’s still valid. When considering transformational change in your business, it will be instructive to reconsider your business why, and whether it’s still relevant.
There are several reasons why a business why might change:
1. The world has changed
If you manufacture cigarettes or tobacco, and your business why is to provide a sophisticated product for your customers’ enjoyment, you might revisit this in light of studies linking tobacco smoking to cancer and to the decreased social acceptability of smoking. Your why does not have to change – it’s perfectly acceptable to reconfirm it – but it might need tweaking. Perhaps in the years of trading you have become concerned not only with your customers’ enjoyment of your product, but also about trading ethically with tobacco producers. In this example, you might well add ethical trading to your business why.
2. Technology has changed
Technology moves on at a rapid pace, and if your business why is closely linked to technology, it might no longer be relevant. If your mission is to see a fax machine on every desk, or a record player in every bedroom, your why needs updating. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean scrapping it altogether. Dig into your why and you might find a deeper kernel such as ‘making music accessible to all’, or ‘we believe everyone should be able to communicate quickly, cheaply, and efficiently’. Use these nuggets to craft a new business why.
3. You’ve achieved your mission
If your why is ‘a phone in every pocket’, you might well stand back and realise that you’ve achieved it. In which case, it’s time for a new business mission and a new business why. Again, don’t discard the old mission – it shows your values and ethics, and can be used to explore and define your new mission and raison d’etre.
Businesses change and adapt. A strong why that articulates your vision, ethics and beliefs will inform and steer those changes, but it’s important to revisit your why and ensure it really does state what motivates, inspires and moves you. After all, your why underpins everything you do and how you do it. If your why feels dated or not as inspirational as it used to, be bold and redefine it. You don’t want to be the number one maker of horse buggy whips when the motor car industry is starting to take off.