The Common Cause

A shared cause is a basic idea that “inspires” the organization. We borrowed this idea from Simon Sinek’s “the good cause”. It is a further developed idea of “Start with Why”. But: it is not the same as the WHY. A WHY comes from the past. It is a story of origin. It is a statement about who we are – the sum of our values and beliefs. A just cause is about the future.

A just cause must be:

  • for something – affirmative and optimistic –
  • inclusive – open to all who want to contribute –
  • service-oriented – for the primary benefit of others – thereby building a loyal base of employees and customers (and investors) who will stick with the organization through thick and thin.
  • resilient – can withstand political, technological and cultural changes –
  • idealistic – big, bold and ultimately unachievable – achievable is a vision that also plays an important role.

What does not qualify as a good thing is

  • Moon shots, i.e. difficult to achieve goals
  • “be the best”, i.e. measure yourself against the competition
  • Growth in itself
  • Social responsibility, i.e. things that the company pursues in addition to its actual goal

Recommended Resources

  1. Infinite Games An overview of Simon Sinek’s ideas, developed from “Start with Why”
  2. Introduction by Simon Sinek in 5 min on Youtube

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