Employer Branding: Leading with purpose

“When your personal purpose connects with the purpose of the company, everything makes sense”

This quote from one of our candidates made us think even more about the reasons why someone accepts a job proposal… Is it the salary? The benefits? More free time? The brands? The truth is none of them. The real reason lies in leading with purpose, which not only makes candidates connect, be interested, and accept a job, but also differentiates an employer brand, engages, and retains talent.

79% of candidates consider the purpose of the company before applying for a position.
71% of employees would look for a new job if the culture deteriorates.
(Glassdoor 2019)

What is really the purpose? Many times, there is a confusion between vision and mission and even with social responsibility. It is not the company’s story or what it does or dreams, but “why it does what it does.” It is the motivation that connects with the “why” of the people, perfectly meshing the pieces– as our candidate mentioned – is what makes sense. It is the true nature of the company, that inspires and what gives meaning to life, to collaborate and to build together something that everyone can be proud of.

Leading with purpose is crucial to guiding, inspiring and enduring. A great example is LEGO, a six-generation brand, which over the years has encouraged children to think creatively and to shape their future.

After difficult periods and proud to list among their fans famous engineers and innovators who grew up with LEGO (including the founders of Google who once recounted that LEGO had shaped their minds), they decided to investigate its impact on children, and discovered that the secret to continue growing was in front of them … “Inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow.” A purpose that inspires and enables children to develop, think creatively, reason systematically, and release their potential to shape their own futures. That led to a reorganization to ensure that every aspect of the company was aligned with that purpose. That meant going back to its roots and pursuing the purpose over profitability. Currently, this purpose has had a positive impact on its image, reputation, and sustained double digit growth.

But how does leading with purpose benefits us to attract and retain talent?

• Helps to differentiate and attract talent that really cares about our purpose and wants to contribute to it.
• Allows everyone to emotionally connect with a common goal. When they are united by a cause in which they believe, they feel involved, collaborate, commit and innovate.
• Aligns the heart and mind of the team, promoting effective communication, problem solving and teamwork.
• Inspires greater transparency and responsibility, and acts as a compass to assure that everyone in the company is aligned with the values and principles.
• Builds a stronger organizational culture, from which everyone wants to be part of.

However, having a purpose is not enough to attract or retain talent. Leading with purpose means:

• Make them feel and live the purpose daily, making it visible and credible in their actions and communications.
• Be aware that motivations are changing, that everyone needs to know that they are part of something valuable, and that they demand more meaningful experiences.

Millennials and Generation Z – the letter stands out for its sensitivity and ethics with the world and the planet – they will constitute almost 60% of the global workforce at the beginning of the new decade.
(Manpower Group 2020)

• Take into account that internal talent is the window – in the eyes of the candidates – to the real nature of the company.

Leading with purpose is one of the most powerful forces in the company.

By Eduardo Balbín Buckley – INAC Peru