Every industry, most businesses, have their own lingo. In support of business change management, the Miick Companies is specific about their language of leadership. Why’s this important? What Miick’s learned through global leadership is this: In change management coaching, the clearer the language, the clearer the intention and impact. Goal? Miick shares, “Our Clients work to achieve explicit definitions of their company culture and brand, and positive results, speak for themselves.” The following terms are fundamental to achieve a successful foundation.
Purpose:
One might think the primary reason to open a business is to make money, to support yourself and your family. That said, truly successful businesses have a purpose beyond profit. Miick drives profitability (and fiscal well-being) and believes that profit is a core Value that drives purpose.
Purpose may be as basic as sharing your love of your grandmother’s pecan pie recipe with the world, or as lauded as creating a sustainable food alternative to contribute to climate solutions. What is the purpose of your business? What is your underlying passion? How will your business impact and improve your community, your neighborhood, your world? Other than building the best Cajun pirogue style canoes, or serving the perfect soufflé, or selling the latest Nikes to sneaker-heads, what purpose are you bringing to the marketplace? How does your community benefit from your success?
Values:
If purpose is the foundation, values are the building blocks. When defining values it is important not to make them amorphous and hard to execute. Rudy Miick says, “As an outcome of clearly defined purpose what are the values that guide your decision-making and behaviors on a daily basis?” He goes on, “The premise is this: In business change management the more definitive your values, the more actionable, behavior-based values are, the better.” In the case of the boat builder above – if you are making flat-bottomed canoes because you want to help people experience the unique joys of the bayou, a core value may be that the boat materials are sustainably sourced.
Another value in action would be to avoid polluting the environment in your production process. Then drill down further, how does not polluting inform where you set up your factory, what materials you utilize? Drill deeper, how you dispose of waste? If these kinds of fundamental operational choices are made you and your company performance wins all the more: with integrity of purpose, supporting the bayou, in both production and clean up, both real value AND profit are aligned. Rudy asks, “Do we know that the guideposts and boundaries with our value system around fiscal accountability, communication accountability, skillset accountability, follow-through or accountability itself with each and all as values?”
Vision:
When you opened your business you had a plan for getting through the first year and coming out with a profit. Another important element of business is growth. Have you defined an explicit Vision for your company going forward? If you sell sneakers near one school would you like to open a second store near their crosstown rival in two years? Do you want to become a regional power player in the collectible sneaker market? If that is your vision for going forward, how does that impact what you do today? Perhaps you avoid being embroiled in the rivalry by giving the same “school discount” to anyone with a school ID. Maybe you start to execute that vision today by advertising in both school newspapers. To reach your vision it is important to know what the destination looks like. The vision begins to build its own action steps on course! Vision can grow or change over time. As long as it remains in tune with Purpose and aware of shifts in the economy, Values guide this “tuning” by the way; then a Vision can sustain a business for years, if not decades.
Mission:
To achieve a vision purposefully achieved, guided by values, there will be unique missions to achieve. Each has unique objectives, tasks and goals. Miick uses “Mission” as a task force, special op’s team if you will, clearly defined, so when mission is complete, the mission “team” can take on a new mission, or be dissolved and return to other work, or a new team can be formed to move ahead on a new mission. If you are a café specializing in soufflés, and your vision is to be carbon neutral, what could a mission look like? Perhaps you would want to research the energy use of dishwashing machines against the cost outlay for the environment using compostable plates or carry out boxes? Once findings are complete, choices are made, objectives and tasks for the mission team are complete, there is no longer a need for that group to meet. Ponder this, instead of ongoing committees, a mission team is created, goals oriented, working passionately, celebrated with mission complete on purpose, guided by the company values. Bonus? Speed of execution and effectiveness! Next steps might be to source organic ingredients closer to an additional location that is being opened. The first team requires a buyer, someone from the cleaning crew and someone to check local rules on composting at a food business location. The next team might be focused on reaching out to small local organic farmers, or looking at ways to turn half of the parking lot into a sustainable herb garden. Again, Mission tends to be short in term, done passionately on purpose, guided by the values to achieve the vision! Company performance, innovation and engagement soars! Language drives business change management. Performance outcomes are consistent regardless of economy, pandemic, or any other challenge that comes at you.
If these fundamental tools guide your business decisions, it is possible to not only make a lot of money, but to improve the world in the process. Using language as a catalyst for action is not an idealistic fantasy it’s real world, and happens for Miick clients every week, every month, every year.
