Vision
There is nothing wrong with having financial goals and achieving milestones, but these are simply means to an end. If you believe that your agency exists solely to make money, then you likely are falling short of your potential and cheating your employees of opportunities to realize theirs.
Paul Roetzer
I believe “what effect do you want to have on people” is one of the most important questions we should ask when we are making something. Life isn't just a series of problems to be solved but experiences to be had.
Things I'm thinking about
Whether it’s articulated or not, every business is driven by one of two philosophies. A company is either competition-driven or story-driven.
Bernadette Jiwa • Story Driven: You don't need to compete when you know who you are
What were their roots? Why had the company started? How did their backstory influence the work they did today and how might it affect their aspirations for the future?
Bernadette Jiwa • Story Driven: You don't need to compete when you know who you are
The story-driven company thrives because its people have a collective narrative identity that gives them a sense of purpose and creates a cohesive culture.
Bernadette Jiwa • Story Driven: You don't need to compete when you know who you are
A business, by definition, exists to make a profit and the world’s best corporate storytellers acknowledge as much. What sets them apart is what they do next. They wrap their product, service, company, or cause with a vision and a purpose that goes well beyond making money.
Carmine Gallo • The Storyteller's Secret: From TED Speakers to Business Legends, Why Some Ideas Catch On and Others Don't
"One kind of entrepreneur you say, Whose need am I satisfying today? [...] The other kind, to quote Michael Schraig here, is to say, the purpose of my business is to change people, to change them from something into something else. This is the kind of business that we remember generations later"
the story-driven company is responsive to customers and prioritises having a clear sense of purpose and identity. It makes little reference to the competition and is intent on creating an impact.
Bernadette Jiwa • Story Driven: You don't need to compete when you know who you are
If having a sense of purpose can improve your chances of success, it’s vital to imagine how what you’re working on creates change and to articulate your reasons for wanting to do it. Why you? Why this? Why now? Why for them? Why there? Why that way and not this? What’s your story and how will you stay true to it?