Finding your true business mission and values
Image sourced from Unsplash - Felipe Furtado
This blog was created in September 2020. I wrote it but didn’t get around to sharing it. I re-read it last week and so much of it still resonates and rings true so I thought I’d share it now to show how important it is to document your mission and values - even if you only really check in on them now and then. It’s good to think things through.
So, yesterday I spent a rather uninspiring day researching potential companies that I supposedly wanted to work with as a freelancer. I was using the standard business development tools – top 150 practices lists, looking up the companies on the internet and then feeling a bit uninspired and frankly underwhelmed. The days of me having a long list of companies that I really want to work for/with has long gone – I’ve managed to make it into many of those firms and the rose-coloured tinted glasses of distance couldn’t hide the issues that underlie all organisations.
Why?
Because they all looked and sounded the same and nothing like me. But this was nothing new to me – I’m a built environment (construction, architecture, engineering etc) marketing specialist. On the whole it’s always been a pretty male-dominated, quite conservative industry that tend to be dominated by traditional companies.
Why mission, values and purpose are important?
I’m not pertaining to being an expert on mission, values or purpose and I can’t reel off a polished definition. In truth to do this stuff properly – takes a level of deep intrinsic thought that I prefer to avoid but there are a few people who know way more on this topic than me.
Mission, values and purpose are a bit of a scary beast to tackle for me but I guess it’s about getting to the heart of who you are and what makes you special. This is so important if you want to create environments in which you can thrive and deliver well for others. Mission, values and purpose are about articulating who you are as an individual and what drives you? Then moves onto looking at the types of organisations, environments and people that help you to thrive and deliver your best as well as what you expect from those you want to work with.
Your mission, values and purpose is your brand – it sums you up
Branding isn’t just about colours and visual identity – in some ways these are the easy bits. Who you really are, what you stand for is your brand – it’s what encapsulates you and your business. So, once you’ve identified your mission, values, and purpose it’s essence will form the core of your brand. The brand in terms of colours and visual identity will come much later.
So – who am I?
I’ve never really fitted into a formal corporate environment. From stepping into a marketing role at Arup and not having a clue how a girl from a working-class immigrant family had made it all the way there – I was literally pinching myself.
At heart I’m still a rebel – well as much as you can be being a single, 44 year old mum! Anyway, maintaining some kind of rebellious streak- maybe not so crazy as this once was - is how I thrive and always will. It’s just part of my personal motivation and drive. From working really hard at school so that I could move out of the area that I’d grown up in to quitting jobs/negotiating ways out when logically it may have meant more to have a regular income, even if that environment was slowly killing me inside.
I love things that are different, brilliant or rallying against the system – yep I like a fight. I like to show that there’s a different way to the status quo or something that’s been done brilliantly well.
It’s why I love infrastructure. On the surface, this stuff is seen as dull but there are a host of fascinating stories to tell and share and we all need infrastructure and the massive benefits it can bring. I love championing those who hide their light under a bushel or the unfashionable thing. It’s way more exciting to find that nugget of individualism or creativity and yes, I’ve got a fantastic sense when it comes to sniffing this stuff out.
And all the above is why I loved promoting the team who worked on Birmingham New Street station – not only were they amazing people but they were technical whizzes who were delivering an amazingly technically advanced project. Finding creative ways to shine a light on that was not only enjoyable but also hugely rewarding and allowed me to demonstrate how not just me but what I do ‘marketing’ can really make a difference.
And here’s a summary of the mission, values and purpose of the type of firms I’m looking to work with
Who: Non-conformists - people who have something to say, want to make a change or challenge the system. They're passionate and have aspirations e.g. pi-top change the face of computer science education or Arup making the world a better place.
How they do it: They are actually trying to do something different be it innovative design, an amazing project, rule breakers, trying to change the system, from a different background to the norm.
How they behave (values/purpose): They need to be nice - different organisational structures not just a big PLC trying to make money. Share similar values or background to me.
What they look like: Nice clients who are honestly championing change, diversity or the underdog. They need to be doing some kind of social good/doing good, innovative design. Minimal suits.
My primary targets: So, I want to find architects, engineers, designers, contractors or just people genuinely trying to do something different.
Where do I find them: Read mags, Dezeen, AJ, RIBA Journal to find smallish practices, design-led. LinkedIn, associations/communities (online currently). Or ones set up that way who have grown but are still driven by their original ethos. Architecture schools. Employee-owned trusts – different style ownership structures. Social value/ethical practices. Could be new products or systems trying to change the status quo. Digital, BIM, proptech too.
Secondary target: SMEs maybe branch out to other sectors to find these types of companies or people but that's what I enjoy and what motivates me. Just run of the mill doesn't work.
Where do I find them: Female-led communities (Allbright Connect, the Coven, Found & Flourish etc), DITFK, Being Freelance.
