Purpose isn’t always a lofty ideal or only about saving lives or the world; as an individual, as an Organization, Purpose is doing what you do best and continuing to grow, and thereby impacting other lives for the better. Purpose for an Organization doesn’t do much when it’s just a clever set of words relegated to the ceremonial wall. Having said that, the impact of a powerfully worded Purpose statement is immense on any organization’s employer brand value. An effective Purpose statement is action oriented, clear, and inspiring. When the purpose statement answers the critical question of why the organization exists, it serves to inspire.

When the purpose statement defines the impact the organization wishes to have on who its serving, it offers clarity to all stake holders. And when the purpose statement also serves as a clarion call to appropriate decision making, it goes beyond the feel good factor. Purpose then can be imbued in everyday actions, in the rudimentary tasks. Take for instance Southwest’s purpose statement: Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. The organization’s true north and the impact they wish to create are clear. The words ‘friendly’, ‘reliable’ & ‘low-cost’ serve as signposts for organizational decision making at all levels. Sony’s purpose statement, ‘Fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology’ reaffirms the power of words. A paycheck is no longer enough to keep people happily engaged with work.

Now more than ever, people are realizing the need to do what really matters, to spend precious time on what makes them happy and fulfilled. A purpose driven work culture, gives people a reason to look forward to their work day because they are part of something meaningful. The very act of crafting a ‘purposeful’ Purpose statement can be an Organization wide activity, not just for mere engagement, but to define a powerful Purpose, in alignment with individual vision and goals.

The Mahindra group’s success story is fueled by such critical organization wide exercises in making purpose and values core to their business strategy. The powerful purpose statement ‘Indians are second to none in the world. The Founders of our nation and of our company passionately believed this. We will prove them right by believing in ourselves and by making Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd. known worldwide for the quality of its products and services,’ coined in 1997 had such an impact on employees, that the credo that Indians are second to none continued to be their guiding belief long after they left Mahindra.

With time, and the many changes, Mahindra’s many entities are united by a single, impactful purpose: ‘Rise’. Simply that. What was already implicitly present in their employees across their different entities was a desire to rise above all limitations, and contribute meaningfully to the world. This was crystallized into a potent unifying Purpose: ‘Rise’, by Scott Goodwin, founder of New York based StrawberryFrog. Expressing this already existing, albeit latent sense of purpose, brought in transformation not just at the organization level, but also for individuals where they felt inspired by the unifying purpose to push through limitations. Have you defined your Purpose? And how are you expressing it in your everyday?