How Knowing Your Big Why Can Boost Your Team Results

Why should you be concerned by the “Big Why”?

You might know the Ted Talk from Simon Sinek (one of the most viewed Ted talks): “start with why”. In this Ted Talk, Sinek explains that all the companies know “what” they do; most of them know “how”, however few know “why” they do it. Being aware that it’s not the profit the make but the impact they want to have on society, the intrinsic inspiration.

Because driving a business to excellence is not only about figures and profits but also about genuine motivation and inner vision. One of the best examples is the story of Steve Jobs asking the then-Pepsi president John Sculley : “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of his life or come with me and change the world?” Jobs asked. Jobs’s WHY was not to make computers but to create a new world and this is what gave him and his team the motivation to create “buttons on the screen that look so good you'll want to lick them”.

For some years now, consumers have expected companies to share a clear vision, not just products or services. But to clearly share a vision with others, you will first need to define it.

Why should every Team work on their “big Why”?

Meaningful tasks and projects, connection and human exchanges are the basis for a motivating and healthy workspace. Feeling worthy, being part of something bigger than you, knowing you can make a difference will get you going and eager to deliver, and make you more resilient.

When a team has a clear Why, everyone knows why they are working hard, they understand that their daily tasks are useful and impactful, and they know that they matter. They feel like human beings and not just human doings. And isn’t this our ultimate wish?

Why is the “big Why” even more important these days for business?

When you do not know what tomorrow holds, when uncertainty is the new normal, when strategies need to be changed by the week, people crave something to hang on to: the vision, the why. Your Why is your compass, the shore to reach, even if the sea is raging.

These new times demand even more flexibility, creativity and dedication from everybody. And to achieve this, you need a captain and team who know where we are going, how to get there, and most importantly, Why we are going there.

For more information, please check out our new 1-day “Team Motivation in Uncertain Times” workshop.

Contact