This morning Dean Tucker spoke at ZingTrain as part of the 2014 Speaker Series on the topic of Gen X & Y. The biggest take-away for me:
Creating rock star teams and high-performing businesses isn’t about HR figuring out how to cater to the whims of each generation – fundamentally, it’s about building a purpose driven business. It just so happens that Millennials are more driven by purpose than traditional command and control structures. Leaders that build purpose driven teams (vs. profit driven) are Level 5 leaders who naturally embody the qualities that appeal to millennials – and plenty of other employees. It will be a great legacy of the millennial generation if their disenchantment with command and control gets businesses to think differently about how they operate, and to begin shifting focus in business from profit to purpose. I for one, hope they succeed.
Creating rock star teams and high-performing businesses isn’t about HR figuring out how to cater to the whims of each generation – fundamentally, it’s about building a purpose driven business.
This mornings lesson got me thinking about the practical “how to” aspects of becoming a purpose driven business, as I know plenty of business owners seeking to move in that direction.
So lets pretend you’re one of those entrepreneurs who wants to shift to being a more purpose-driven business. Where to start?
If you want more context first:
- For research on the success of purpose in business read Dean’s book, “Using the Power of Purpose“
- For a great intro to both sides of the equation – time and vision – read Ari’s “A Lapsed Anarchist’s Approach to Managing Ourselves” (or any of the books in his series)
- Prefer to learn through experience? Attend a ZingTrain seminar such as Creating a Vision of Greatness or Leading with Zing!, or
- Attend an Inc. Small Giants event to meet the very people who are in so many of the case studies on purpose
If the vision stuff still sounds to touchy-feely (or you’re definitely not an anarchist):
- Start with Gino’s “Traction” or “Get a Grip”. The focus in his books is all business, even though the fundamentals are the same: purpose, values & vision.
If you’re ready to start NOW:
- Download the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) “Vision/Traction Organizer” (or similar one page business plan) and start filling it out.
- Then meet an EOS implementer for an in-person intro, and get to work!
Good luck!
An educator at heart, Catherine enjoys applying her expertise as an executive and long-time online marketer to help fellow entrepreneurs. To that end, she wrote the book on how to put all the pieces of online marketing together called "Internet Marketing Start-to-Finish", and speaks at both advertising industry and entrepreneurial events. Outside of the world of SEO and executive coaching, you'll find Catherine hanging out with her husband and two teenage boys, and triathlon training.
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