A passionate discourse on why principles are essential for your business foundation. Brief, they are the core of your brand, the heart.
Consider your principles to be your heartbeat. Boom. Boom.
For a considerable time, a lot of goal-setting strategies are mentioned in media and their importance in aligning one’s business and for sustainable growth. True fact. However, in our digital and agile times, our environment and everything that derives from that such as competition, positioning, and parameters are quickly changing, making it hard to adapt properly and in a timely manner. The company’s focus gets easily distracted and in some cases even lost due to constant pressure. Are you close to a heart attack? Time for a pacemaker? Why is that? As “Why” is the nucleus of all beginnings, let’s explore this presumably familiar quandary:
From a meta-perspective, principles are infinite pursuits like a compass, and much broader than goals. They are your brand’s foundation: What your business model is about, what your brand looks like, how you communicate, and where your brand will go in the future. In short, principles underpin your company’s strategy with vision, they enable it and provide enough space to adapt strategies that work in service for something larger. When you know how and where you fit in the marketplace and what makes your company different from others, you will pave the way for uniqueness which will attract existing and new customers alike.
What is your benefit in shifting towards principles first?
Creating your foundation: Principles are the backbone of your company. They endow you with the critical ability to evaluate your plan as well as goals and change them accordingly – even to leave it and quit if necessary. You will be less attached to your “be-all end-all” goals and more focused on your company’s overall success. On top, they can support you in building trust and forming professional relationships.
Shaping your company's unique identity: There are plenty of universal principles applicable to many companies, so it's even more important to work out those that set your business apart from the market. Your positioning is about differentiation.
Compass for decision-making: A dedicated set of principles in regard to expectations, values, and standards can provide guidance in decision-making. The management board can keep the big picture, create strategic plans, and better navigate their teams, which are also familiar with the company’s principles, through challenging situations.
Conclusio
What about your principles? Do you already have them in place and are you living by them? Shortly finishing off with a thought: Goals – without any doubt – are good. However, do you prefer to have a goal to win or the mindset to move into mastery?
Best
Margot
A&P sidenote: Sol(omon) LeWitt (1928-2007), an American artist, is linked to various movements, including conceptual art and minimalism. I find that his artwork suits ideally with this article, as minimalism is dedicated to focusing on the necessary.
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