Although the invention of the compass dates back well over 2000+ years and likely came about in different original forms based on the earth’s magnetic pull, the tools were a significant leap into superior navigation. As the world is primarily covered with water, being able to navigate not only by celestial bodies but also by the pull of the earth’s magnetism allowed civilizations to expand and flourish. With such guidance tools, the people who navigated exploration, trade, and even war used the compass to direct their actions to realize specific outcomes.
Thousands of years later, and although the hand-held or gimble-mounted compass is less prevalent due to other technologies, a compass for you and your business is as relevant today as it was during the BC and early AD era. The difference is that your internal compass needs to point you in the correct direction for your organization to flourish.
Like the original and refined compass, the pull of the earth’s magnetism allowed for the consistent pointing of the needle to the north. Moving in a direction east, south, or west was more exacting, as all you needed to do was keep the needle in its desired location and progress forward. It worked regardless of cloud cover when the ship’s navigator could not view the celestial body.
Your organization needs a navigational system that can always keep pointing in the correct direction. From JKL Associates’ perspective and the actual results of clients who embrace such an approach, the guidance system starts with a defined and embraced “Purpose.” The “Purpose” lays out the “Why” you and your organization do what it does to exist. It is not the “To make money” slogan of too many business owners but the “Core Purpose” as to why you deliver your goods and services to the marketplace.
The additional elements of your business compass are your “Core Values.” Those are the 3 or maybe 4 values that each decision in your organization MUST meet in order for the direction and decision to be congruent with the culture. Much like the compass pointer pointing north because of the pull of the earth, your business needs “Core Values” to pull each decision into the proper direction to realize your “Purpose.”
Each decision made using your “Purpose” and “Values” compass is further aligned with “Core Principles” that more fully define expectations for your culture. To avoid mutiny on the high seas, captains set forth expectations for the crew so that while living in tight quarters and under most likely pretty abysmal conditions, the entire group of sea mates could not only exist with each other but thrive to reach their best outcome.
The outcome or destination was further articulated by the captain, who, as their leader, would reward each for their individual contribution to the journey’s success. As the leader of your business, you define the outcomes by setting up a “Vision,” “Mission,” and specific goals for the various organizations that function in your business. These additional components are all guided by the primary “Purpose,” “Core Values,” and “Principles.”
This week, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to challenge yourself by looking at your culture through the lens of the compass. Is your business pointing in the correct direction? Is the guidance system in place to support the best decision-making efforts? Are you and your business being pulled to your next best level of results?
Interested in having a conversation with a Promise Guide to discuss your compass? Give JKL Associates a call at MI (313) 527-7945 or FL (407) 984-7246
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Celebrating 30 years of Delivering on “Promises”
