Telling your company’s story is a pretty simple recipe. It has 3 core ingredients:
Purpose
Truth
Action
But like all great dishes, the end result is largely based on the artistry and execution of how the ingredients are put together.
Purpose
What is the purpose of your company?
What does it stand for?
Why does it exist?
Over time many companies lose sight of their purpose. The vision gets cloudy, and the focus shifts to products and profits. There’s nothing wrong with products and profits, but they are the results of executing a company’s vision and purpose.
The iPhone and iPad may be “insanely great” products, but they’re not Apple’s purpose. Creating “insanely great products” is the purpose Steve Jobs set for his company.
Your purpose is the bedrock of your brand’s story. It’s the piece that draws in customers and engages them in a story of why your firm exists and what it’s trying to achieve.
Truth
Is your purpose truthful?
Truth may seem obvious, but you can’t get to action if you don’t believe your purpose. And worse still, your customers won’t follow you if they don’t believe your company’s purpose and story.
Enron published their “Values” in their 1998 Annual Report: Respect, Integrity, Communication and Excellence. Under Respect they wrote, “We treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. We do not tolerate abusive or disrespectful treatment. Ruthlessness, callousness, and arrogance don’t belong here.” Truth was not their strong point.
If you don’t believe in and commit to your purpose 100%, the story will not succeed. It’s like baking a cake with rancid flour.
Action
What actions does your company have to take to fulfill its purpose?
What actions do your customers have to take to support the brand?
What needs to happen next?
A brand is premised on action—actions of the company, its employees, its suppliers and its customers. Without action there is no business.
The challenge is connecting actions back to purpose. It’s easy for companies to get caught in the day-to-day work of operations, sales and customer service. But for a brand to grow and stand out in an industry, there needs to be concentrated action towards the purpose of the company.
Make it your own
The magic of growing a remarkable brand is you get to choose how to mix the 3 core ingredients. You can combine Purpose, Truth and Action in a multitude of ways to stand out, fulfill your purpose and deliver real impact.
How are you combining your Purpose, Truth and Action?
