Make Your Mark

by Jocelyn K. Glei

creativity is solving problems in new ways and conceiving new ways of looking at the world.

Art, without distribution and discovery, moves nobody. Did it ever exist? Science, without clear explanation and advocacy, won’t be understood by the masses. Will it make an impact?

Thought, if not written down and shared with others, changes nothing. Does it matter?

Your ideas, if not captured and executed, affect nobody. ...

But unlike traditional measures of success—like money, titles, or status—the creative mind is driven by a desire to see creativity come to life. Success is making an impact in what matters most to you.

As we begin to imagine—or reimagine—the company’s purpose, the process typically begins with looking at the intersection of several key truths: What does the world hunger for? What does it desire? What does it need or suffer from a lack of? What are the unique talents of the organization? Who has the company timelessly been? And who must it fearlessly become?

To define your personal purpose, start with these questions: How will the world be better off thanks to you having been on this earth? What are your unique gifts and superpowers? Who have you been when you’ve been at your best? Who must you fearlessly become?

Richard Leider,

defines purpose as being in the right place with the people who matter to you, doing your life’s work.

Innovation starts with enthusiasts.

It could be as simple as a subset of people and you understand what they want in a way that maybe they have not even understood themselves yet.

You find that key turn of phrase that helps them hang on to the idea, process it, and make it their own.

the problem you’re solving should be a constant guiding light.

prevents you from falling into the fatal trap of assuming the world is waiting with bated breath for your product to launch.

people are not wishing for your idea to exist, because they don’t even know it’s an option.

when you sit down to clarify what problem you’re solving, a great initial test is to imagine someone’s inner monologue. Is the problem you’ve identified something that a real human might actually be thinking?

Once you’ve identified the problem—a desire or need that a real person might actually have—then it’s time to go deeper. This is called the “why test.”

The “why test” always ends with fear of death. That’s the only acceptable indication that you’ve reached the end of the “why” chain, because you could argue that “fear of death” is the ultimate motivator for all human behavior. Only then do you have permission to go back and identify which insight is actually most relevant and appropriate for what you’re trying to create.

this kind of thinking is the difference between launching a product that’s just a flash in the pan and building a beloved brand that endures for decades. It ensures that everything you do, from inception through execution, is rooted in the needs of your audience. Instead of simply focusing on what you’re building, you are determining why it matters.

The best brands, the strongest brands, the ones that everybody loves, stand for a concept that is much greater than the product itself.

Nike isn’t about sneakers; it’s about performance.

Apple isn’t about computers; it’s abo...

Perhaps the car stands for freedom. But you won’t arrive at that conclusion by starting with your product. You ge...

“One does not begin with answers,” the legendary business consultant Peter Drucker once remarked. “One begins by asking, ‘What are our questions?’

Questioning is perhaps most important when you’re at that critical stage of forming a company and developing a clear sense of mission and purpose. The questions you ask will guide the choices you make, the directions you move in, the opportunities you pursue (or fail to pursue), and the culture you create.

1. WHY ARE WE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE?

That’s a tremendous motivator and a great way to start a business

it’s easy to lose sight of that driving purpose as the business becomes a reality. Day-to-day survival issues and financial pressures start to take over.

Companies can quickly lose sight of what really matters. So you have to keep that “Why are we here?” questio...

2. IF WE DISAPPEARED, WHO WOULD MISS US? AND WHY?

it brings into focus what makes you unique and valuable, while also clarifying who your core customers are and why they need you. If you can’t answer this question specifically (hint: “everybody” is not a good answer),

3. WHAT BUSINESS ARE WE REALLY IN?

forces you to explore your deeper relationship with customers—beyond just the obvious product or service you’re offering.

4. HOW CAN WE BECOME A CAUSE AND NOT JUST A COMPANY?

If you want to really form a bond with customers, ask yourself how you can connect with them on a deeper level—one that taps into something people really care about.

“What does the world need . . . that we are uniquely able to provide?”

5. WHAT ARE WE WILLING TO SACRIFICE?

6. HOW CAN WE MAKE A BETTER EXPERIMENT?

most businesses never think to ask it. The primary concern is usually with ‘making products,’ not ‘making experiments.

the way to make better products is by first getting better at experimentation.

help unlock the creativity that’s already there in your company.

“If you want to harvest all those ideas, allow employees to experiment more—so they can find out the answers to their questions themselves.”

7. WHAT IS OUR MISSION QUESTION?

mission statement is probably more of an ad slogan than an accurate depiction of your ideals.

what I’m talking about here is a forward-looking, open-ended goal that is best expressed as an unanswered question.

Right now we offer a pretty good X, but how might we go beyond that and offer X, Y, and Z? How might we take what we do and u...

make it bold and a...

Give yourself something ...

Share it with all your partners, from the people who work for you to your customers. It tells them that you...

“Figuring out what you want to accomplish is a continual search—and questions are the means to the search.”