You ever pick up a book and come across a passage that hits you over the head? 

That happened for me recently as I was reading Patrick Gentempo’s great new book, Your Stand is Your Brand. 

I have been doing lots of writing lately around purpose and core values and the damage caused by misalignments in business. 

I was drawn to this book because I have seen Patrick speak several times and have met him on a couple of occasions. He is probably most renowned for how he applies practical philosophy to business. His message has always resonated with me so I knew I would enjoy and connect with his book. 

But when I read this passage, I was like, Yep – that it! That’s what I have been trying to say!

Here is it:

Too often people engage in core values exercises, but the exercises become a trick they play on themselves. I liken it to a corporate exercise where the leaders say, “Oh, these words ‘integrity’ and ‘excellence’ sound good, let’s use those.” Those terms are exceedingly common, but they often have no deep-rooted meaning. They simply sound good. I’m not saying that these are bad core values to have, but the question is: Are they really the deepest and purest representation of who you truly are? Are they what matters most?

Once you can get clear on these core values—and clear on this statement of purpose as to why your business exists—and you can state it in a compelling manner that ignites you, then you don’t just take those words and throw them in a drawer or hang them on a wall. They become the sheet music that every single person and every single process in your company sings from. Anything—and I do mean anything—that does not align with this mustbe changed.

When you look at your business, are all your team members singing the same song? Are all your processes in harmony with your purpose? If not, you’ve got a misalignment in your business that you have to fix. Otherwise it will hold your business back from reaching its potential.

For more on the benefits of creating a purpose-driven business, I encourage you to check out Your Stand is Your Brand.