A Plan Without A Purpose Is Pointless

Sailing a ship without a destination is ultimately pointless. Without a clear purpose or goal, you’re merely navigating without a meaningful objective, leading to wasted time and effort with no concrete outcome to be achieved.

Similarly, an organization that fails to centre its strategic planning around its core purpose (aka the “Why”) will result in missed opportunities, increased risks, and a lack of meaningful achievement.

We define purpose as an organization’s meaningful and enduring reason to exist. It aligns with the value you create for your customers and the problem you solve for them. It also aligns your long-term financial performance, provides a clear context for daily decision-making, and unifies and motivates relevant stakeholders. It goes beyond your mission statement and will be the foundation when creating your strategic plan.

To determine your organization’s purpose, use Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle principle. It refers to the “Why,” “How,” and “What” elements of an organization: 

• The “Why” element outlines the embedded purpose for the organization and the reasons why it exists.
• The “How” element outlines the approach the organization takes to providing the “What.”
• The “What” element consists of the products and services offered by the organization.

For example, Apple’s Golden Circle might look like this:

• WHY: In everything we do, we believe in challenging the status quo. We believe in thinking differently.

• HOW: The way we challenge the status quo is by making our products beautifully designed, simple to use, and user-friendly.

• WHAT: We just happen to make great computers.

Make sure the “Why” statement speaks to the values of your organization. It should speak to your purpose, cause, or belief as an organization, and can become a rallying point for employees when created with values in mind.

Watch Simon Sinek’s original 2009 TED Talk to learn more about his Golden Circle principle, and then download our worksheet to try it out yourself: