A lot of businesses spend an inordinate amount of time touting WHAT they do. Or companies may focus their sales efforts on describing HOW they serve customers in bringing their WHATs to market. What a company does and how they do it are both very important. But at CSR, we have embraced the WHY as the most important motivating driver.
Why we do what we do at CSR is what vaults us out of bed each morning. It’s the on switch to our coffee makers. It’s the catalyst between consulting and solutions and results. It’s the wind beneath our wings.
Simon Sinek’s provocative TED talk really resonated with each of us at CSR. We all agreed that it was critical to articulate WHY we do what we do before moving on to other important elements of our strategy. Our WHY: CSR loves when small businesses thrive.
In that short sentence, there are a few key words or phrases. First and foremost is “loves.” A “why” must address the heart of why a company is in business, and the why drives us emotionally. Anything less than love is too tepid, too milquetoast – to love when our clients thrive is to be crazy motivated.
Another key phrase is “small businesses.” The US small business market is vast and diverse, but what we are attracted to most is the nimble nature of a small business and its entrepreneurial spirit. The last important word in our WHY is “thrive.” CSR is in business to see all of our clients reach their lofty growth numbers and strategic goals. We aren’t content with status quo or just getting by – we relish the hard work and payoff associated with a thriving business.
WHY is your company in business?