How to Create Team Alignment and Do More of the "Right" Things

Have you ever gotten in your car and started driving without a destination in mind?

Apart from the wanderlust-stricken hipsters of the 2010s, people typically have a destination in mind when they travel.

Maybe you want authentic Italian food, so you pack up and head to Rome to get some pasta alla gricia from Osteria dell'Angelo.

You don't just grab a jacket, head to the nearest boat, and hope you get there, right?

No! Of course not.

You make plans. You embark on a mission. A mission to fulfill your ultimate purpose – delicious Pecorino Romano-doused pasta.

So good it makes you want to say "Mama Mia." 

On that note, today, I want to discuss the importance of having a clear mission that keeps your company laser-focused in the right direction.

(Pecorino Romano-doused pasta optional)

The Plague of Modern-Day Startups

If you're like most companies, you don't have gobs of cash falling out of your pockets.

You can't afford to place bets on all the horses. Plus, even if you could, it still wouldn't profit you.

Companies today are often far too distracted by the shiny objects around them.

As Jim Collins says in his book Good to Great, “You are more likely to die of indigestion of too many opportunities than you are of starvation of not enough.”

Companies that chase every revenue opportunity often end up with little to no revenue or a product that is so over-customized that the level of complexity is untenable to maintain and ultimately crushes your revenue.

Like a ship captain who sets sail from New York to London, if you do not set out on the proper course and vere off target by even 2 degrees, you end up in a different country altogether (this is 💯; I asked Chat GPT to run the calculations for me—you end up in France, to be exact).

Why a Clear Mission is Pivotal to Success

I've heard arguments that setting a detailed plan too early in a company can limit its opportunities. 

Although this is true to an extent, it's a strawman argument that attempts to avoid something absolutely critical to a company's lifeblood.

A mission.

A purpose.

A reason for existing beyond profit.

Take Amazon as an example. From the beginning, Jeff Bezo's vision was not to sell books. It actually wasn't to sell any particular product. It was "To be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online."

That is not a limiting mission. It's actually quite a large mission. But it is absolutely, fundamentally, and 100% a focused mission that has kept Amazon on the same charted course for almost 30 years.

It's given them the means to say "yes" to opportunities, but arguably more importantly, it gave them the means to say "no" to opportunities.

Saying "yes" to the right things and "no" to the wrong things is one of your most critical responsibilities as a leader.

Creating a mission is how you provide the context for making these decisions.

Creating 100% Alignment in Your Company

My first stab at creating a mission for my first company was absolute trash. Like, comically bad.

But, after a decade of fine-tuning this process in my own companies, here is the framework I now use with clients to help them provide absolute clarity and direction for their companies.

Your mission is broken down by answering two questions:

1. Why do you do what you do? Purpose.
2. What do you do better than anyone else in the world? Focus.

Defining Purpose:

This is your organization's reason for being. It comes from you as the leader and comes from your core.

It’s beyond money and must ignite passion within. As Harry Beckwith says in his book Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing, “People don’t lead, purposes do.”

To craft your purpose,

1. Answer the question, "Why do you do what you do?" Think about it. Now, get it out of your head and onto a piece of paper.
2. Check that it meets the following criteria:
   1. It’s no more than three to seven words.
   2. It’s written in simple language (put your thesaurus away - simple is better).
   3. It’s big and bold (because no one likes a wimpy purpose).
   4. It has an “aha” effect. You feel good when you nail it.
   5. It comes from the heart.
   6. It involves everyone. Not just you.
   7. It’s not about money.
   8. It’s bigger than a goal.
3. Let it ruminate. Wait a week, look at it again, and be honest about answering the following: Does this purpose invigorate you? If it doesn't invigorate you, you can't expect anyone else to follow it.
4. Rinse and repeat until you can't get your purpose statement out of your head (because it's that good!).

To help you in thinking through this, here are some examples of other company Purpose Statements:

• Disney - To make people happy
• Mary Kay - Give unlimited opportunity to women
• Nike - To experience the emotion of competition, winning, and crushing competitors
• Spotify - Unlock the potential of human creativity
• Intereum - Delivering environments that inspire work, learning, healing

Defining Focus:

Once your purpose is crystal clear, it's time to dial in your focus.

Your focus needs to answer the question: what do you do better than anyone else in the world?

It should be simple, clear, and focused.

As Ron Swanson says, "Never half ass two things. Whole ass one thing."

To craft your Focus Statement.

1. Answer the question, "What do you do better than anyone else in the world?"
2. Ensure it meets the following criteria:
   
   1. It's specific.
   2. It's not broad or vague.
   3. It's simple and understandable.
   4. You can make money doing it.
3. Run it by your team. Do they agree? Is this absolutely what you are best at in the world?
4. Iterate. Refine it until it's so simple and so focused it would be impossible for you or your team to get "off-track."

To give some more food for thought, here are some examples of other company Focus Statements:

• Orville Redenbacher - Popcorn
• Walgreens - Most convenient drugstores
• Starbucks - Premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world
• Capstone Publishing - Fun & engaging learning

Your New "Filtering" Mechanism

As your company progresses, you'll be inundated with hundreds of opportunities, thousands of ideas, and an infinite supply of shiny objects to take your eye off the prize.

As you create plans, strategies, and goals for your company, filter everything through your newly formed Purpose and Focus Statements (i.e., your Mission).

Be scarce with your "yes's" and ruthless with your "no's."

Having this level of clarity causes you to say "yes" to all the right things, and you'll get further, faster.

🍝