Before the luxury of GPS, stars led travelers home – and the North Star was a constant.
If your team can’t point to your North Star, you might be having a hard time keeping your company on course.
The Organizational North Star: A Purpose Statement
It can be easy to get off course.
Day-to-day routines sidetrack you and your team. You’re hustling onsite to get the work done, but is everyone working to the best of their ability? Your team might know the blueprints for that one landscape, but are they seeing the bigger picture…do they know where to look?
Lack of passion, loss of focus, disharmony between staff and leadership…these issues can hold you back.
It’s important to take time and establish your Purpose Statement – some call it a Mission Statement. However you label it, this statement helps remind us all why the heck we’re hustling.
At Creative Roots, our overarching purpose is to…
Help People Grow
This is our North Star. It’s at the centre of our actions and the motivator for every decision we make. We’re constantly looking towards that star and asking ourselves, “Will this choice help people grow?”
Whether you’re starting a new business, or reimagining your business, establishing your purpose, or mission, will pay dividends in the long run.
Finding your North Star
If you own a landscaping company, it’s easy for your employees to think that your ‘purpose’ is to plant trees and shrubs, pull weeds and install water features and irrigation.
But for your clients, their landscaping is a reflection of their lifestyle, their personality, their values…and if your team isn’t invested in delivering a quality product with care and attention, your clients won’t feel like they’ve gotten value for their money.
When your team is onsite they have to work like they’re invested personally. And they can be if they know why you started your business in the first place.
Four questions to help your staff find the North Star
Set aside time to ask your staff these four questions.
- What do we do?
- Who are we?
- Who are we doing it for?
- Why do we do it?
If your staff can’t answer these questions with clarity, you have some work to do.
Because – equally, if not more important – the toughest question to answer is:
- How do we do it?
The best beginning starts at the end
Don’t be surprised or critical if your team can’t give you the answers you already have in your head. Take it as a sign that you have some education to do. That’s your responsibility.
I’m a big believer in reverse engineering…
- Figure out your destination
- Calculate the resources you need to pay for it
- Find the people you need to help you get there
- Inspire them to get on board
I like spending my winters in Mexico. That’s my personal North Star, ironically.
In order to do that, I have to hustle and deliver a high quality service to people who are willing to pay a premium. But I can’t do that alone.
I need people who have their own end goal in mind – personally, financially – and make sure they see that buying into our Purpose Statement helps them get there.
When we’re all onboard heading towards the company’s North Star, the exceptional service, quality and discipline required to get to our destination shines through for our clients. And the company thrives.
If you’d like to help your team find your North Star, contact me. I have the tools you need to work with your employees and keep them on course.
