Creator
Suzanne Mercier is a Sydney-based coach, author and speaker. She works with business owners, entrepreneurs and leaders to help them recognise and develop their potential. She is considered to be Australia’s expert on identifying and moving beyond limiting mindsets including the Imposter Syndrome … a key barrier to performance.
Disclaimer: I helped Suzanne create this manifesto as part of my coaching services.
Purpose
Suzanne offers a Purposeful Coaching Program and her manifesto highlights the importance and key principles of purpose for all people in business.
Manifesto
Purpose is everything!
Purpose gets us out of bed in the morning.
Purpose allows us to find meaning even in the face of life’s challenges.
Purpose helps us live longer and happier lives.
Purpose is about making a difference and leaving a legacy.
Purpose is NOT a bandaid
Purpose is not something you add into the mix.
Purpose is an organising principle – the central tenet of your business upon which all other business goals and levers are based.
Purpose is the only path to sustainable business success
Profit is necessary for sustainability. But profit isn’t the reason we’re in business. We need to breathe to stay alive. But we don’t exist to breathe.
Focus on profit leads to short-term decisions with longer term consequences.
Purpose emotionally engages stakeholders at a deeper level, inspiring them to make their own unique contribution.
Purpose reframes barriers as challenges, not stop signs.
Purpose multiplies Profit
It provides authenticity, clarity, focus and a filter for business decisions.
Purpose delivers the highest influence on employee engagement, increasing bottom line.
Purpose is the key principle to align all goals and inspired actions within the business, maximising impact and profit.
Purpose is certain in an uncertain world
Purpose is a fundamental truth for your business.
It is the foundation NOT a bandaid slapped over existing elements of your business model.
Purpose holds true in dynamic business environments, although its expression and delivery may change.
Purpose provides the foundation for both evaluation and recalibration in the face of significant change.
Purpose inspires your brand
Purpose is an expression of the service you are dedicated to providing to others including clients.
The best brand positioning provides a strong emotional connection.
Finding your Purpose naturally guides development of your value proposition.
Source
Comment
The six points of this manifesto present a clear and simple statement of why purpose in business is important.
This is a crucial point for business people presenting their ideas to the marketplace: you need to make it really clear why your clients need what you offer.
And I don’t mean: sell, sell, sell. Instead, through your manifesto you can educate your audience about what they might need in their business. In this case, Suzanne believes every business needs purpose.
The six statements claim this space well.
The first is strong, clear and definitive: purpose is everything. In other words, without purpose you have nothing. That’s bold.
Also, I like that they are a mixture of statements.
Sure, they all start with the word ‘purpose’ – this gives a consistent rhythm to the message. Most are only 3-5 words in length – short, sharp declarations.
There is also a ‘not’ statement here: ‘Purpose is NOT a bandaid’. When you’re dealing with something that everyone knows something about (eg purpose), you need to be strong and clear about what you believe it is and what you believe it is not.
This is part of claiming your territory and leading people through you view of the world.