I just returned from a conference in Sedona, Arizona, one of the most beautiful places I have been. While I was there, I worked on my “why.” Why do I go to work every day? For me this was not a new exercise, but a refresher. I have been through this exercise countless times in the last few years in different settings and am always invigorated by the process. I want to share this with you and hope you will take 20 – 30 minutes to do this as well.
I have two questions for you:
1. Why do you go to work every day?
2. Why does your Company exist?
The first question is to pull out your own personal mission and the second question is to pull out your Company’s mission. But before you answer the questions, I want you to watch this video by Start With Why author
Simon Sinek, produced in 2009 at the TED conference. This video is part of the 20-30 minutes of time you will take to work on your “why”.
Once you have watched the video, take out a clean sheet of paper and answer the two questions I gave you. There are no right or wrong answers. The answers you have today may not be the answers you have next year, or the same answers you had last year. This is quite possibly something you write and re-write a few times over the next week. My only request is that you take the 20-30 minutes to do this and it will be well worth your time. If you have already done this…do it again!
And if you want to know my “why”, send me an email and I will share it with you.
Oh…and if you have never explored TED.com – it is a great collection of videos, some worth watching over and over.
