You may have noticed a slight misspelling in our brand name. "Isn't it supposed to read 'Oil and Water'", a friend asked? "Why the Y?" So glad she asked. Oyl + Water isn't a purposeful misspelling of "oil and water" simply to pique curiosity. Shifting the focus from "I" to "Y" is precisely what leaders must do in order to create the corporate culture of the 21st century. The days of rapacious capitalism are dwindling and mindful, transparent, purpose-driven leaders are becoming the new superheroes of business. When leaders make business less about personal profit and more about purpose, immediate gains, both to corporate morale and the bottom line, are realized. Why WHY matters to your team All human beings want to feel purposeful. They want to know their contribution matters. When managers and executives inspire their team to rally around a vision and work for a greater good, employees begin to feel that they are a critical player in the success of the business. A 2013 Gallup study quantified the benefits of engaged employees. Not only do companies with engaged employees outperform those with lower engagement by 10 percent in customer satisfaction ratings, but they scored 22 percent higher in profitability and 21 percent higher in productivity. A shift in focus from a myopic obsession with fiscal growth to a broader understanding of the motivating factors that drive an organization leads to gains in all areas. Why WHY matters to your brand The best way to to contend with the competition is to eliminate the competition entirely by creating a brand that has such a unique story to tell, no one else could possibly do what you do the way you do it. This is less about "creativity" and more about digging deep into WHY you do what you do. What stories, turning points, discoveries, passions and motivations drive your work? Do you create authentic, truthful content that is intrinsic to your company's purpose? When you create from a place of purpose with a clear understanding of your WHY, your brand will naturally separate from the competition. Why WHY matters to your customer Customer don't care what you do, they care why you do it. No one wants to be sold a bill of goods. No one wants to be "marketed" to. And certainly no one wants to be under-delivered an over-promise. Start from the assumption that your customers are savvy, scrupulous, authentic, deserving. Then ask yourself, "Do I have something of value to offer these wonderful people?" If you do, you'll know exactly what to say. If you don't, you might want to revisit your WHY.
