01 May What in the ‘make people happy’ has happened to purpose
In the mid-90s Disney’s purpose was ‘to make people happy‘. Fast forward 30 years and they appear to have ditched the idea altogether. Moving to the wilted word salad, “to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.“ Yikes.
While the former did inspire generations of workers, giving us Disneyland, Mickey Mouse and The Lion King. It’s hard to see anyone motivated by the recent statement. Well, maybe Wall Street traders, who the statement was probably assembled to appease.
Disney is hardly alone. 3M used “to solve unsolved problems innovatively”. In the process it unleashed 15% time—no, Google didn’t have the idea first, and forever transformed brainstorming and reminders with Post-it notes. Today, they aim “to apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily‘. And while not a completely different continent from the earlier idea, it still lacks the earlier version’s verve.
I get it. Purpose is struggling to stay afloat amid torrents of change. Global unrest, cosplay code and the push to always grow. Add complex expectations by every stakeholder group to the mix and fidelity to purpose feels like a luxury most organisations can’t afford.
Public companies, especially, are submissive to markets which have zero interest in what’s useful for people who actually work there. And where large enterprise leads, others often follow. Right down a generic, jargon-rutted track where more words make for less. Less meaningful, less stimulating, and less to coalesce people’s efforts.
Whether you call it purpose, mission or some other name. The statements can and should first and foremost inspire and motivate people inside the company*. Read that again.
The goal is not a sexy, marketing-friendly statement fit for a website. But something clear and meaningful to those whose work it should directly influence. Worth noting here is that having a purpose is not synonymous with a purpose statement. Plenty of organisations brim with unwritten purpose. And there are certainly ways to informally covey what matters.
Written or not, what does a purpose to inspire and motivate sound like? Easier to point to what it doesn’t. Avoid mushy, motherhood nonsense. Bypass 32-word strings of jargon mishmash. Forget making the world a better place and how you make money.
Alongside shaping choices and navigating pitfalls with guardrails for what you will and won’t do, purpose animates and incentivises people’s daily unheroic work. When the list of things not in their control is overwhelming that distant glimmer can reinvigorate and guide their efforts. Making it easy to see how a poorly considered purpose delivers a body blow to culture.
Uninspired people sleepwalk through tasks, minds dreaming about their exit. Unmotivated people plod. Forget engagement, you’re lucky to get an eyeroll. Unsure people fall back on what they’ve always done, leaving you stuck.
Still words alone aren’t a panacea. Even a punchy purpose will wreak havoc on workers’ enthusiasm and belief when every choice floats unmoored from the stated sentiment.
And while purpose can’t supply individual meaning. A well-considered one is indispensable to ensuring their efforts feel somewhat rewarding.
When it crisply captures what matters. People inside the organisation show up. With ideas they share. With energy to spare. With enthusiasm to stand alongside and contribute, whatever their tasks.
Is your purpose closer to the one from Disney of yesterday or today? If it’s the latter, step back and ask ‘what would inspire and motivate me?’
Thanks for reading.