Glastonbury is widely considered the best festival in the world and the best bands fall over themselves to appear at it and tickets sell out every year, even whilst other festivals struggle.
“There’s always a wish list, and only the best bands are on it… And we’ve been ticking ’em off and ticking ’em off. ”
Michael Eavis 2013 (founder of the festival.)
It got me thinking why is that? The answer is the festival has always had a purpose and values that make it stand out.
“Politics gives Glastonbury soul and gives it back its purpose. I place these values very highly”
Michael Eavis 2011
The ideals on which Eavis founded the festival in 1970 are clearly still going strong in actions as well as words. My list of five things a leader must do is headed by creating a sense of purpose so you can explain why you do what you do. Just like Glastonbury outperforms all the other festivals, companies and organisations with a clear sense of purpose do better than those without one.
A recent study from Deloitte shows that organisations that follow aims beyond just profit do better than those without a “culture of purpose.” The survey found that 90% of people who believe their organisation has a strong sense of purpose also report a strong financial showing in the business over the past year. They also report very high employee and customer satisfaction. Over and over again when people are asked to describe the characteristics of their most successful and rewarding team experiences, what usually tops the list is a clear purpose or mission that aligns with their personal wants and needs.
So if your team is a bit lethargic it might be a good time to re-visit the team’s purpose or mission, and see if there’s awareness and alignment on it. To be honest even with a team that seems well-motivated, it still is a good to recheck once in a while.
If you are interested in developing your leadership or creating more effective teams we would love to have a conversation.
