A common cause is a basic idea that “animates” the organization. We borrowed this idea from Simon Sinek’s “the good cause”. It is another developed idea of “Start with Why”. But: it is not the same as the WHY. A WHY comes from the past. It’s an origin story. It is a statement of 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 would like to contribute –
- service-oriented – for the primary benefit of others – thereby building a loyal base of employees and customers (and investors) who will remain loyal to the company through thick and thin.
- resilient – can withstand political, technological and cultural change –
- idealistic – big, bold and ultimately unattainable – attainable is a vision that also plays an important role.
What doesn’t qualify as a good thing is
- Moon shots, i.e. hard to reach targets
- “to be the best”, that is, to measure oneself against the competition.
- growth per se
- Social responsibility, i.e. things that the company pursues in addition to its primary objective