Why now is the time to update your Strategy, Purpose and Corporate Culture

As consultants to SMEs for many years, something has always been abundantly clear to us: those businesses with a well-defined mission and vision, along with values and behaviours that align to that higher purpose, perform at a significantly higher level.

But recently, something else has also become clear: the world of work has changed dramatically, and many companies’ mission, vision and value statements – key elements of their purpose, strategy and corporate culture – have become outdated for the world in which they now operate.

What employees want from work has changed

Employees want flexible working, and the chance to work remotely.

Quite rightly there’s also a greater focus on diversity, equality, and employee wellbeing.

Purpose matters.

Employees want to work for employers with a clear purpose that aligns with their own.

Your corporate values – and the ways of working they drive – will need to keep up, if you want to maintain an engaged, motivated, and loyal workforce.

Customers have changed too

As your business has changed, so have your customers.

Your mission – based on the clients you serve and the level of service you provide – will likely have to adapt too.

Update your Mission, Vision, Values and Behaviours

Your mission, vision, values and behaviours are not meant to be fixed. They should be living documents, put into action, adapting, and changing as your company does.

So if you recognise that the environment in which your business operates has changed, or if you’ve never previously given any thought to your mission, vision and values, now is the time to redefine these core strategic and cultural elements.

Here’s how:

1. Understand what each element means:

Mission: Your mission is your underlying reason for being in business, your deep-rooted purpose.

Vision: Your vision is where you want to be – and what you want to be – in the future.

Values: Your values outline what you believe in and guide your employees’ ways of working.

Behaviours: These are your values in action. The way your people work when interacting with colleagues and customers on a day-to-day basis.

2. Get out of the boardroom and speak to your employees and customers

Be clear on what’s changed.

Ask your employees and customers what they value.

Find out what new ways of working your people want to embrace.

Listen to their answers to craft your new purpose.

3. Once updated, share your new mission, vision, values, and behavioural expectations internally and externally

Share stories, examples and case studies that illustrate your values in action.

Leaders should set the tone for others to follow.

Make clear which behaviours you will tolerate and which you won’t.

4. Use ‘Launch Pad’ by The Uncommon Consultants

‘Launch Pad’ is a collaborative 3-day Strategy and Culture workshop for company leaders and Directors, led by our Uncommon Consultants, that lays the core foundations for sustainable business growth.

It gives your management team the time, space, and opportunity – outside of their day-to-day activities – to reflect, to focus, to reset and to reformulate a clear and memorable plan of action for the future.

Through open, judgement-free, peer to peer discussions – facilitated by an experienced and objective Uncommon Consultant – your management team will work together to challenge the current business plan, to formulate a restructured and focused strategy, and to shape a company culture that supports the strategic ambitions.

Identifying and codifying your Mission, Vision, Values and Behaviours is a key part of the workshop.

Launch Pad is not based on abstract management theory, but around your real-world activities, with tangible metrics, KPIs and financial objectives at its core.

There’s no bull***t bingo or death by consultant PowerPoint.

In a rapidly changing world, Launch Pad will set the tone for your future, will reignite a spark in your Executive Team, will provide clear strategic direction, will provide a blueprint for sustainable growth, will inject an identifiable change of pace into your business and will give you the best chance of achieving the future business value you want.

Contact our Uncommon Consultants today on 0333 242 3743 to find out more.

A version of this article originally appeared in The Business Post North West Edition 36 Page 10.