What successful Australian business consistently displays real passion? That was a question posed to a discussion group I belong to. Interestingly, Boost Juice Bars & Dick Smith Foods were tentatively volunteered as examples. When the scope was broadened to a global perspective however, there were many more ready mentions – Southwest Airlines, Apple, Oral-B, Medicin sans Frontier, etc.
Boost went from one store in South Australia to currently 240 world-wide. Southwest is constantly profitable in an industry characterised by staggering losses. What is it that companies like these have that makes them stand apart from others?
Answer – a vision and a passion for it.
Every company (hopefully) has a strategic plan. However, companies like Boost and Southwest also have a clear vision or sense of purpose – that is shared by everyone. Boost offers ‘a truly unique experience with healthy fast food’ while Southwest promises ‘air travel you can afford with the highest level of service.’ These visions of improving the lives of their customers offers a real sense of purpose that employees become passionate about, and provides the critical framework to enable them to make better decisions. It is not surprising that strong customer loyalty (evangelical even) is a natural consequence.
There are three key steps you too can take to achieve this;
- Create the Vision: Sounds simple enough. However, is the Vision to achieve business goals, clear on how your product or service contributes to improving the lives of your customers? If it does, you have a purpose everyone can be passionate about.
- Share it around: Everyone in the company must not only be aware of the vision, but take ownership of it. Only when they see how their contribution impacts on this will it become meaningful to them.
- Live it daily: The passion needs to be ignited through on-going programs designed to enhance the promise to your customers.
What Australian businesses can you think of that constantly displays a real passion for what it offers? Has a shared vision or sense of purpose been critical to its success?
Finally, does YOUR business have a clear vision or purpose to support its Strategic Plan? Is everyone passionate about it? If not, call us for a chat. Perhaps we can help.
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