My Learnings via Jim Collins
I’ve always struggled to find the difference between mission and purpose. Mission statements are everywhere on websites and on company walls. But are these simply missions or reasons for being? And what is a purpose apart from a reason for existing? So when I heard the following on Audible the answers to my questions became a little clearer.
“Your purpose is the guiding star, always out there on the horizon, never attainable, but always pulling you forward. Your mission is the specific mountain you are climbing at any moment. Once you reach the top, you sight again on the guiding star and pick yet another mountain to climb”. Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0 by Jim Collins & Bill Lazier
It’s a great analogy. A guiding star, the gravitic pull of purpose. A mountain to climb, a challenge to rise to.
So with a little redirection on what we currently have at Coolphase we’ve been able to more clearly define us and our objectives.
Our purpose at Coolphase: “Make great tradespeople and do great work”.
Once referred to as our “15”
The mountain we are currently climbing at Coolphase “Stability through Diversity”. A climb that at times can be a little daunting. But we keep moving on, traversing crevasses and surpassing obstacles. Forever focusing on the gravitic pull of our guiding star.
Our purpose at Gravitic: “Better leaders, one leader at a time”.
We’ve only just begun at Gravitic so we haven’t decided on our first mountain to climb, we’re just negotiating the start up hills and forming our values and direction. But we know it’s important to set our foundation sooner rather than later.
It’s a great thing to have a clear purpose and mission. Especially, if your people engage and buy in. You can move mountains with purpose and climb ever higher while trying to reach your guiding star.
GRAVITIC 