Why you need a company purpose and mission. An example of LinkedIn
Why you need a company purpose and mission. An example of LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a huge global company. They have offices in almost every major country in the world. Most people, especially here in Russia, know them only as a professional social network. But the company has many other products that thousands and thousands of people are working on.
What is the purpose of the company
Every company in Silicon Valley has some kind of notable headline. Something that sounds really cool and creates a huge big purpose. In LinkedIn’s case, by purpose they mean how the company wants to see the future. It’s a story the company tells the world.
LinkedIn’s goal: “To create economic opportunity for every person who is already working or wants to find a job.”
Why
Now every company in the Valley has its own vision. That wasn’t as common before, and even when a company had a vision, it wasn’t always followed. That led to situations where the outside world saw one thing, but the people inside saw something else. Now, the goal is taken more seriously.
It helps set the image for the press and the customers who use the product. It creates a culture for employees. People who come into the company understand not only their tasks, but the overall goal of the whole team, become more involved and responsible. The purpose here is not just a story that sounds pretty, but a pivot on which all of the company’s products are strung.
For example, LinkedIn is now working on a marketplace for freelancers and customers. It’s a startup inside a big corporation. It is not their main product, and LI is still unknown in this area. But it fits into the company’s global goal, so they keep working on it.
The company’s goal is also needed for outside investors who are not only thinking about revenue in the present, but also ahead of the curve. If a company is not profitable this year, which is often the case with Valley companies, investors still understand the direction the company is taking and, if that movement seems promising to them, continue to invest.
Mission
Not only does a company have a goal, but it also has a mission – a vision of how the organization will achieve its goal. If LinkedIn’s goal is to achieve universal economic prosperity so that everyone can find a job, then the mission speaks to how they will achieve that.
It seems like a pretty general statement, but it allows the company to clearly choose among the many opportunities what is really worth working on:
– They know they need to find people.
– They know they need to invite those people onto the platform to see others and present themselves
– They know they have to give users certain talents, teach skills, in order for them to get jobs.
That’s how a concrete chain is built to achieve a global goal.
The main principles of LinkedIn are
Transformation
People are not static. Working in one profession and getting tired of it, they can change it if they’re smart enough.
LinkedIn hires people even if they don’t have much experience in the role they’re applying for. It is believed that if a person has learned one thing, they can learn anything.
This is accepted at all levels of the company. Professionals can move into related roles and bring their knowledge and experience from other teams and areas. This principle has been used for quite some time: anyone who is unhappy with their role can find another role within the company.
Integrity
This is understood as simple rules: don’t lie, don’t steal, be honest and conscientious, etc. They seem obvious, but reminding them helps the team to be more integral.
Collaboration
A very important principle in LinkedIn. You can’t do anything alone. People have to collaborate to accomplish anything. It’s about collaboration within teams, between teams, and even between customers and the company. Together they work on a common problem.
Membership
There are often conflicting objectives when solving problems in a company. Revenue vs Caring for People.
For example, to reduce unsubscribes, you could add 50 extra forms and make the unsubscribe button gray and small in the farthest corner. LinkedIn, of course, can use this method, too. But the company is always thinking about how an action will affect their customers, and principles are not just words to them.
That’s the basis of their culture.
Culture is not something that is written down on a website somewhere, it really guides all decisions.