Getting back to my philosophy of business (which you are welcome to adopt) this seems like a pretty obvious answer.  Your organization should be purpose driven because it is your reason for being in business to begin with!  Your purpose is “what” you do.  People centered, servant led, values focused, community friendly, and environmentally responsible are the “how” you do it.  Without the “what”, there is no reason for the “how”.

Purpose is where your business activities begin.  When you have clarity about your purpose you can define it in a mission statement, and expand it in a vision statement.  Your purpose becomes the fundamental element of your strategy and business plan.  With a clearly defined purpose you can identify the processes and resources necessary to deliver it, the structure required to support it, and the skill sets or competencies to execute it.  In other words, if you have established a firm foundation for your organization, a key driver of performance, you can more effectively define the other four key performance drivers and enhance your chances for success.

Purpose should drive every decision you make about your business.  If you let it drive those decisions you will avoid wrong choices in your business plan; you will keep irrelevant and self-justifying processes from sneaking in to your operations; your structure will fit your processes; and the people you hire will bring with them the relevant competencies to execute the mission.

Let me go a little further and offer an observation about defining your purpose.  It’s not about making money.  Oh, really?  Yes, really; think about it for a minute.  If you define your purpose as making money, how does that help you make decisions about business plan, resources, processes, and people?  It’s a rather lame purpose that doesn’t give you any direction.  Money is much more useful when it is identified as a resource for accomplishing your purpose, and a measure of your success in delivering on your purpose.  Remember, it’s not money that’s the root of evil; it’s the “love of money”.  Use money as a tool, not as a purpose.

What about defining your purpose around filling an individual or collective need in the marketplace?  When you identify a specific need to be filled you have greater clarity about the core competencies, resources, and processes necessary to carry it out.  If you are the business owner, that need should be relevant to your own gifts, talents, passions, and core competencies so it will serve as motivation and provide a source of strength and confidence for your efforts.

So make sure your organization is purpose driven.  It will keep your decisions focused on “the right stuff”, conserve your resources, motivate you and your people, and enhance your possibilities of success.

Next up, why you need to be a “community friendly” organization.