Explore the website of any school, and you will undoubtedly find a page dedicated to their Mission and Vision. Here you will find carefully crafted statements of purpose couched in the vocabulary of educational excellence and reflecting the pinnacle of human possibility. A blend of educational philosophy and marketing speak designed to promote student achievement and enrolments. The question is, to what degree does the lived experience of the typical student align with the stated purposes? Does the product do what it says on the tin?
In a recent Podcast, Ewan McIntosh of NoTosh ponders this question. He refers to the notion of “Plastic Purpose” to describe the type of purpose that is laminated and placed on the wall and is never read, never used and never remembered. Plastic Purpose is too often what you find on school websites.
Having a clear statement of our purpose is, of course, vital. If we are not able to articulate our purpose in clear terms, how do we hope to live it? This is the key message behind Simon Sinek’s thinking on the importance of starting with why. Organisations that are clear on their purpose are more likely to succeed than those that are not. A clear purpose reveals the direction that the organisation intends to take. An inspiring purpose inspires us to give our best efforts and promotes innovation as we seek new ways to achieve it.
Simon Sinek tells us that “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate WHY they do WHAT they do.” For many organisations the title of Sinek’s now iconic book “Start with Why” became a mantra. Unfortunately, too many organisations also “Stop with Why”. Having a clear statement of their purpose, they failed to consider how they ensure their why is reflected in everything they do and so their why became plastic coated.
As Ewan McIntosh shares, an organisation’s purpose plays a vital role in filtering ideas. When the purpose of an organisation is clear, ideas that drive it in the desired direction pass through the filter while those that act in opposition to its purpose are rejected. Steve Jobs understood the role that purpose plays in filtering ideas. In a conversation with Nike CEO Mark Parker, Jobs shared that “I’m actually as proud of the things we haven’t done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying ‘no’ to 1,000 things. You have to pick carefully.” What allowed Jobs to decide which ideas passed through the filter was his relentless focus on his most important priorities; his purpose.
Ensuring that your purpose acts as both filter and compass demands the courage to promote ideas that bring your purpose to life and say no to those which do not.
David Perkins offers us the concept of action theories. An “action theory” makes a connection between our beliefs and the actions that we take. As Ron Ritchhart reflects “They are the “rules of thumb” and the “internal compass” with which we operate.” Perkins speaks of the gap between theory and action. On the one hand, we have the theoretical knowledge that comes from science; on the other hand, the application of science evident in engineering. We can extend this idea to consider how we translate our purpose into action or how we make visible the connection between our actions and our purpose. When we act with our purpose in mind, when we filter our actions by their alignment with our purpose, the action theories we invoke should reveal this.
To avoid “plastic purpose”, we must look for how we translate our mission and vision statements into action. Just as the engineer might apply the science of physics to the design of a more accurate timepiece, we need to transfer our vision and mission into the work that we do.
The challenge is to do this consistently. This requires an understanding that even the smallest component of an organisation contributes to its overall shape. Our purpose must be reflected in everything we do. This is where many schools fall down. On the large and readily visible components of their offerings, they ensure alignment with their vision and mission, but the less glamorous aspects send a different message. Consider the school that advocates for learner agency but utilises a reporting system where student voice is absent or the school with a focus on a culture of thinking and an examination regime that emphasises rote learning. These are symptoms of plastic purpose.
By all means, “start with why”, but then proceed with why. Make your why apparent in everything you do. Let your “why” be your filter and your compass. Be proud of your why and let it inspire you and those who depend upon you. Take your purpose down off the wall, peel off the plastic, and let it run wild in your organisation.
By Nigel Coutts