Discover Your Purpose and Define Your Core Focus

I am a huge fan of gapingvoid, a company focused on culture design. One of their daily blogs talked about a company’s purpose, and defined a leader’s job as, “. . . to find the slice of glory in ‘what’ we do, no matter how mundane, and find the people who are excited by that.”

If there was ever a statement that would resonate with every EOS Implementer™ in the world (there are 350 of us as of this writing), this is it.

We refer to a company’s purpose as its Core Focus™—it is “why” a company is in business; it is not “what” a company does.

One thing is certain in business: companies and people lose focus and they get off track. Sometimes we even get a little smug and think since we are succeeding in one area, we can succeed anywhere.

A company’s Core Focus™ already exists. It is simply waiting for you to discover it and clarify it. And once you accomplish that, you and your Leadership Team must make every decision against your Core Focus™.

As I help Leadership Teams discover their purpose, they sometimes learn they are doing things that don’t fit. I have watched clients eliminate what doesn’t fit during this discovery and excelled as a result of it.

Here’s a checklist of the characteristics of a well- defined Core Focus™:

1. It’s stated in three to seven words
2. It’s written in simple language
3. It’s big and bold
4. It has an “aha” effect
5. It comes from the heart
6. It involves everyone
7. It’s not about money
8. It’s bigger than a goal

When you wake up in the morning and think about what you’re going to fight like hell for, it’s probably not going to sound like a typical corporate mission statement.

We’re human—we need to feel inspired every day. It’s pretty simple. If you want a team dedicated to making incredible things happen, give them a reason.

You may know your purpose on a high level, but articulating it and identifying your Core Focus™ can sometimes be difficult. When you’re in the thick of things and too close to it, it can be hard to define. If you need some help talking through it, I invite you to use the consult form below to request a call with me. I’ve had a lot of experience working in the weeds of a business, helping the leadership team discover their purpose. I’d be happy to help you, too. Let’s work together to articulate your purpose, define your Core Focus™, and get your company pointed in the right direction.