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Eight Criteria
for
a Cause Big Enough for a
Crusade
By: Jason Jennings and
Laurence Haughton1 |
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Causes are never
goals:
Goals can be achieved, and when it finally happens, the enthusiasm
wanes
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Causes come from
the heart, not from the mind: Causes appeal to the
emotional man
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Causes are big,
bold, and aspirational: If you want to move organization
from 'what is' towards 'what you want', the cause should be able to
attract the kind of great talents who want to move fast
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Causes are
inclusive:
They speak to and include everyone in the organization
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Causes aren't
just about money:
Money can make people work harder, but will not ignite them
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Causes have an
Aha! effect:
A crusade cannot be built around a cause that requires lengthy
explanation
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A cause needn't
be credible to the outside world: It needs to be believed
by the people inside the organization
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Causes are
expressed in few words:
Simple words go straight to the heart.
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Cause –
the Real Reason Your Business Exists
Cause is that which gives rise to an action, a
motive, a principle, a belief and purpose. A cause is the real reason your
business exists, it answers the question "Why we are really doing this?". "A
cause provides a feeling of belonging, a sense of purpose and loyalty, peer
pressure to perform, and a catalyst for
action."1
Examples of Winning Causes
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Innompic Games
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Walt Disney's:
"To build a place to make people
happy."
>>>
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Business e-Coach:
"To create an environment
inspiring
entrepreneurial creativity
and
innovation."
>>>
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Fun4Biz:
"To develop an enjoyable entrepreneurial environment inspiring
innovation,
creative exchanges, and fun-driven competition and helping creative
achievers grow and shine."...
More
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Charles Schwab's:
"To be the most ethical and useful financial services company in the
world."
>>>
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AOL's:
"To build a global medium as central to people's lives as the
telephone or television, only more useful."
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Hotmail's:
"To democratize communications and change the world."
>>>
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Telepizza's:
"To create a world of Telepizza citizens."
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Wal-Mart's:
"To build stores where the common person could buy the same stuff as
rich people."
>>>
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Southwest
Airlines:
"To free the skies." Despite its ever-increasing size, Southwest
Airlines has managed to maintain a strong, purposeful, and
inspiring culture in which
every employee is still on a crusade to free the skies. No employee
shows up for work just to "do a job." The Southwest Airlines
vision
is so strong that every employee is a crusader of freedom.3
Turning a Cause into a Crusade: 8 Steps
The leader/founder/CEO must live the cause...
More
Strategic Motivation
Without strategic motivation, without the
organization's enthusiastic involvement
and participation of
inspired employees, it
is impossible to implement any
strategic plan...
More
10 Commandments of Innovation
Inspire your team.
Communicate your
strategic intent and launch a
crusade...
More
→
Surprise To Win:
3 Strategies
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