How to Lead an Organization With Purpose (Just Cause)

What does every great organization have?

Good question! Before I can answer that question, I must define “great” and “organization.” Let’s do the easy one first…

Organization = An association of individuals working towards a common cause. In my mind, this could apply to biology as much as it does sociology and business.

Now let’s define the subjective term. What does “Great” in the context of an organization mean?

Great Organization = an organization that is healthy, sustainable, built with purpose and producing consistent, tangible results that benefits the individual members more than being alone. A great organization is one with a future and the means to capitalize on opportunities.

So, what does every great organization have? Simple. A purpose that is greater than itself. A just cause that inspires people to give more of themselves. Something people can believe in that makes the world a better place.

Many organizations exist for the sole purpose of making money for the owners. You can identify these organizations by their lack of vision and mission. Or, if they have those tools, they are vague and fail to give the stakeholders any clear direction. To understand the vital importance of these tools, you must understand their purpose.

A mission is all about WHY an organization exists. Most good mission statements include this as part of their verbiage. “XYZ Organization exists to….” A mission should give the stakeholders and employees a clear understanding of what they should be doing day to day to fulfill the overall aims of the organization. Something of importance here is that it should be a long-term mission that is not finite. A finite goal is unsustainable. Let’s use a hypothetical company. A successful power generating company that has built its business around using coal to power cities.

Example “XYZ Organization exists to power our cities by building efficient coal power plants to power our future” This mission is okay, but it isn’t timeless. Once coal power plants become undesirable due to technology changes, this company will lose its purpose and become another thrall. Plus, it doesn’t give the stakeholders any direction on how to achieve the mission.

A much better mission would be something that gives the stakeholders a sense of purpose beyond themselves. Let's assume that this business is thriving in the niche of using finite resources to create power. “XYZ Organization exists to provide the citizens of Earth with clean, efficient and sustainable energy by effectively managing the finite resources of the earth, technology to maintain the safest emissions and social responsibility for the children to build a bright future.” This mission is something that would survive technology and consumer changes; it’s future-focused and gives the stakeholders a clear idea of what they should be focusing on to fulfill their mission “Tech, finite resource management, social responsibility.” These elements of the mission should align with the organization’s just cause. Which is the guiding purpose for which the organization was founded?

This is hard, but the work put into this will pay dividends (actual cash 😊) if done properly. An organization that exists for the purpose of a finite activity (build a bridge, sell a product or service, etc) will only exist in so long as that product/service is in demand. A business built around a just cause will continue to exist long after the original ideas/service/products have become obsolete because the business will always be looking to the future for new ways to serve its mission and cause. In our previous example, the business may have been founded with the idea of making money off of coal power plants. Or the founders may have had a dream of building a business that would leverage the resources of the Earth with ever greater efficiency and care.

Ultimately, to be a great organization, it must be led with a just cause and a clear mission that inspires its people to do great things. What’s your just cause? Mine is simple. To make the vast majority of people feel safe when they buy and sell real estate with a trusted Realtor.