More common good please! In times of climate change and ever-increasing inequality, many people certainly want this. And so do we. That's why we've already taken the first step and are showing you how sustainability and the economy for the common good can be integrated into a company's vision.
As a start-up with an innovative approach, the first few years are all about one thing: survival. It's about proving yourself in the market - showing that there is another way. In the end, none of this is worthwhile if no significant turnover can be generated on this basis to cover all costs.
We started out with the idea of creating a service that would give creative people more freedom because they wouldn't have to worry about managing their website. Today, our more than 3,500 customers have helped us to make this idea a lasting one. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all your support!
With this freedom behind us, we were able to address the following overarching questions for the first time:
- What can Raidboxes actually do for the common good and society?
- What does this mean for our long-term corporate vision?
In the following article, I would like to show you how we worked out the answers to these questions in a vision workshop with the entire Raidboxes team. As with topics such as holacracy and the like, the same applies here: Imitation encouraged!
Kickoff workshop for the team
Step 1: 1.5 hours for the first vision
The first step on our journey began with 1.5 hours of time that we took in September 2018. In this first workshop, there was one central question at the end:
"What purpose can we serve for the common good? What could a vision look like?"
What does a corporate vision have to do with the common good?
A good vision is always geared towards the common good or an overarching purpose. A vision such as "In 2020, we will have doubled our profit." is not desirable for anyone. At most for a single person at the top of the hierarchy whose bonus depends on it. Conversely, a vision focuses on the future. It is about a long-term goal for an organization that can lie at least 15 years in the future.
The following examples of great and inspiring visions underline this thesis:
- "Taking humanity to the moon"
- "Taking humanity to Mars"
- "Making mobility CO2 neutral"
- "Making the energy supply CO2 neutral"
- "Abolish slavery"
Who is behind the individual visions? This was also our introduction to the workshop in order to deal with the topic of "visions" in the first place and to open our minds for our brainstorming.
Why bother with the common good or a vision at all?
This question was also part of the briefing. For Generation Y in particular, and therefore already for a huge part of our society, work has long since ceased to be just a means to an end. Just like for us, work for these (and presumably future) generations is an expression of personal self-realization.
However, self-realization that does not include society or a higher purpose feels empty in the end. Since Raidboxes is meant to convey meaning for decades to come, we needed a vision. A story that illustrates this can be found here. For those unfamiliar with Maslow, please refer to Wikipedia.
Our first emotional idea: first brainstorm, then prioritize
Both myself and the team were amazed at how we achieved an emotional result for everyone involved in such a short space of time.
You should proceed as follows:
- Brainstorming: The most important rule of brainstorming is to eliminate the critic. People tend to evaluate every idea directly. "Yes, but ..." is the first natural impulse. In brainstorming, the moderator must prevent this at all costs. Every idea has its value. Quantity rather than quality is called for here. Evaluation comes later. The ideas should be recorded around the central question on a large flipchart
- Prioritize: Now all the ideas are on the wall or flipchart. Now it should be quiet and everyone should evaluate for themselves which expression they feel most emotionally connected to. Then everyone can circle the statement that touches them most emotionally. This decision should definitely be based on gut feeling. Rationality can be completely disregarded here.
More equal opportunities
So what is the overarching emotional purpose that can contribute to the common good? The vast majority identified most with "Boundless Opportunities". In the end, we all agreed that Raidboxes should contribute to more equal opportunities.
This is not yet a crisp vision, as Elon Musk demonstrates. But for us, it is the first emotional anchor point that we want to pursue with Raidboxes in the long term. Fortunately, WordPress with its "Democratize Publishing" vision contributes exactly to this.
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Next step: Workshop part 2
At the end of the first workshop, we all agreed that we wanted to develop our vision further. This led to part 2 of our workshop a few weeks later, where we spent half a day going into even more practical detail. Here, we used a tool called the common good balance sheet to work out the next steps towards more common good and discussed their implementation.
If you have any questions about part 1 of the workshop or are interested in the second article on developing the corporate vision, please leave me a comment.
Book tips for more common good and a sense of purpose
For all those who are already interested in learning more about the topic, I recommend the following books (also available on Amazon or in local bookstores).
- Economy for the common good - A very important book for all those who are tired of reading criticism of capitalism without solutions. Christian Felber presents a very concrete approach.
- The purpose of the company - In this book, Domic Veken wonderfully describes how not to define values for a company that sound like any large corporation.
- Delivering Happiness - A very nice entrepreneurial biography that describes the change of heart of the American Zalando role model "Zappos" to a more meaningful orientation.
- Always ask why first - Another excellent book that questions the purpose of organizations and individuals.
- Big Five for Life - For those who want to see in a story what a company feels like, what has a purpose. Also helpful for private orientation.
- Purpose Driven Organizations - Unfortunately a rather expensive book, but very helpful if you really want to formulate a purpose in your organization.
- Tribal Leadership - This book is an excellent illustration of the economic power of culture and how organizations can also develop in the direction of self-realization.
- What I never expected - Author: DM founder Götz Werner. This book vividly describes how a vision and mission that emerged more than 40 years ago continues to have an impact today.
