By Kristen Hayer
It has been a while since I’ve had the energy to write one of these posts, but this is definitely one of those weeks. Or rather, 3 weeks. I’ll admit, I’m a little homesick after 3 weeks on the road, but I’ve also been really inspired by the companies I’ve visited. I’ve been thinking a lot about why I’m so excited about these companies, and the word I keep coming back to is: Mission.
One of my favorite management books, The 12 Elements of Great Managing, talks about having a job, a career, or a calling. The folks I’ve been talking to over the past 3 weeks are really engaged because they have a calling. In some cases, they share the mission of their company. As a notable example, ALICE Training Institute trains schools, companies and places of worship on how to respond in active shooter situations. They readily admit that they wish they didn’t have a market to serve, but their approach has saved lives and the team has a passion for what they do. In other cases, the CS team has built a mission around exceptional customer service. MediaRadar is known as one of the best teams in their field, and they rally around that calling.
Having something beyond doing your job is motivating and drives stronger performance. What are you doing to rally your team to look beyond the day to day? How can you motivate through mission? Wishing you all the best from the road.