Feature
Every business starts with a problem to solve. It's clear to anyone starting out. But as the world changes around them, many lose sight of it.
Tech companies make our lives easier – but also cut down trees to make space for data centres. Low cost fashion retailers make clothes affordable – but end up exploiting people in other countries. Supermarkets that started out selling surplus food – but soon find they're creating food waste.
We live in a world of interconnected global systems operating at huge scale. This makes it easy for businesses' actions to have consequences that are unintended and difficult to see.
Get clear on the problem you're solving.
When leadership teams reconnect with the problem their business is solving, it changes the conversations they have with their audiences. New avenues open up for growth, talent, investment and commercial partnerships.
This isn't about crafting a mission statement or finding purpose. It's about looking honestly at your business within the complex systems it operates in, and transforming your actions from unintended consequences into intended impact.
The outcome? You become a business with the authority and resilience to lead your sector forward. You engage your employees by showing them they're part of a bigger picture. You access possibilities that weren't visible before.
Getting clear on the problem you're solving isn't just good ethics. It's good strategy.
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