The Five Purposes Tool

A great exercise you can use in defining your mission is the Five Purposes Tool.  I have used it successfully in my consulting practice.  It is based on the Rick Warren book “The Purpose Driven Life”.  In that book, Pastor Warren provides a template of the 5 purposes we are here for on this earth and in this life.

My thought was that it would also make sense that there would be five purposes to be at work (of course, five purposes to be a family member as well, etc.).  I followed Rick’s template and just secularized the purposes.  The following are the 5 purposes that I came up with for a client in the real estate industry so that you can get the feel for the process.

1. To create value in real estate for all of our stakeholders.
2. To create a community and communities.
3. To debate, define and document our core values and principles; and then to indoctrinate and exemplify them.
4. To serve the whole by doing our part and to be part of a synergistic team; 1 + 1 = 11
5. To feed the family by spreading the word

Another example would be the five purposes that I proposed for my teammates at Somerset CPAs:

1. To work as a partner with our clients to define and then achieve their goals; to be passionate about the success of our clients.
2. To create a viable, sustainable community rather than merely a workplace.
3. To debate, define and document our core values and governing principles, and then to indoctrinate and exemplify them.
4. To serve the whole by doing our part and value each other’s differences, thereby creating a synergistic team where 1 + 1 = 11.
5. To feed the family by spreading the word so we can continue to attract and retain the best team members and clients.

Completing this exercise will help you focus and communicate your mission.

Please share your five purposes with us!