Originally published on LinkedIn · September 2015.
Why a Place?
A great article from Director Comey speaks to all of us. First — may your relationship with the amazing human beings that work in law enforcement, and the day-to-day challenges of the decisions they have to make every day, be impacted by his perspective. Honor them greatly today.
Though not nearly the same impact, I have done something similar to what Director Comey requires — taking people to key locations to explain what is important in their role, both professionally and personally. Recently, for a personal example, I got to take my son to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in DC and we found a person on the Wall with the same name and middle initial as him. Made for a good connection.
Many times I have taken employees and vendors to locations like a PBX room, a data center, or a telco switching location — to provide perspective on what is REALLY important. Many of my connections have been through this journey or my (in)famous “Top 2 Most Important Things I Protect” discussion.
Find Your Purpose
Can you and your team name the top 2–3 most important things you do in your organization that powerfully impact the personal lives of people outside your organization? Are there life-impacting testimonies and stories from customers or unrelated citizens that you have collected?
No top 2–3? No testimonies? Check your mission and vision statement — it is not big enough.
No Place, No Purpose — Build It Now
Is there a place in your business or organization — or like Director Comey’s requirement — a place you send or take people that REALLY, REALLY, REALLY provides perspective on why your organization exists in this amazing world we live in?
If not, build one. Find one. Develop the story. I have an easy and powerful one for my company and industry. Do you?
No top 2–3. No testimonies. Check your mission and vision — it is not big enough.