Identifying Mission-Driven Companies
I recently finished listening to Simon Sinek’s Start With Why. Having watched his TED Talk years ago, I found the book to be an insightful extension, solidifying the topic with illustrative examples. If you aren’t familiar with Sinek’s work, I strongly recommend you check it out.
In a few words, his work indicates that having a clear purpose for what we do and leading with why can drive behavior. It is a significant contributor to — and even possibly an early indicator of — success. Be it an individual or an organization, having a clear purpose, or a why, reinforces the intrinsic motivation that empowers us to work for a greater cause.
As I was reading through some annual reports, I noticed drastically different approaches in how companies describe their business.
To start, take a look at PayPal’s description from their most recent Annual Report:
Now, read Cloudflare’s description of their own business:
“PayPal is committed to democratizing financial services and empowering people and businesses to join and thrive int he global economy.”
“Cloudflare’s mission is to help build a better internet.”
Which one is easier to understand? Which one is more clear?
Although Cloudflare operates as behind-the-scenes infrastructure for the internet, I find their purpose to be much more appealing and relatable.
In his book, Simon Sinek emphasizes the importance of how we manifest our why. If we attempt to fabricate our purpose, it will be more harmful than helpful. Your why must be authentic. Authentic means it must not be forced, but rather come naturally. Consistency is an expression of authenticity.
In Cloudflare’s case, they consistently lead with their purpose.
In contrast, PayPal leads with what:
Cloudflare dedicates a full slide to their mission in their investor presentations:
Cloudflare even embedded their purpose into their stock ticker: NYSE:NET.
Cloudflare is consistent in leading with their purpose.
This is not just about marketing. Messaging is critical to communicate your why. And not just to communicate it externally, but internally too. A clear purpose empowers the team to make decisions in the company’s best interest. Purpose provides guidance. The words we use are powerful and influence our actions. There may even be some element of a self-fulfilling prophesy to it. It must, however, be authentic. Authenticity is best demonstrated through consistency.
