Common Purpose

Why Common Purpose Matters

The company’s mission should be tangible, inspiring, and relevant to all levels. It is the glue connecting the team. In times of crisis, common purpose is critical. Just as military units need a clear mission to be effective under pressure, having a common purpose allows your group to be decisive in difficult situations. The purpose should provide meaningful guidance, not just be a bumper sticker. Ownership in the mission must trickle all the way down to frontline workers. Every individual on the team must feel a personal alignment with the group’s purpose.

Teams across an organization must have a clear “north star,” a collective understanding of where we are going, why we are going there, and how we are going to get there.

Common Purpose is a critical component of the Team of Teams® framework, which emphasizes four key capabilities for high-performing teams. Common Purpose is just one of the four in this model and without a committed effort to build and develop all four, it is all the more difficult to operate as a high-performing team.