Identifying a clear purpose: How coming together defined a strategic vision
Articulating Snorkl’s purpose wasn’t a tick-boxing exercise, but a crucial step in defining a clear direction, distinctive identity, and measurable reputation for trustworthiness.
At Snorkl, our purpose delineates our principles and values as a business, platform and group of human beings. It helps us communicate who we are and what we stand for with all our stakeholders and sets the benchmark to showcase each Snorklr’s (present and future) unwavering commitment to prioritising ethics above gains. This is because the ever-evolving landscape of brand development necessitates a recalibration of priorities, focusing on making meaningful contributions to societal, environmental, and human welfare throughout the entire value chain. This shift mirrors the broader transformative dialogue within the global business community, demanding authenticity, innovation, and a deep understanding of the societal impact of corporate actions.
Founders trekking in Hatta during the Annual Strategic Planning Conference in Dubai
(From right to left: Cecilia, Clara, Lazar, and Dan)
Challenges on the path to purpose
The journey towards articulating a resonant and genuine purpose is full of challenges. A recent analysis of purpose statements from 66 global leaders highlights a pervasive struggle to encapsulate a compelling and credible vision. This struggle underscores a critical gap in the current discourse on purpose articulation, calling for a more rigorous, analytical approach, and reimagining what a purpose statement can and should be.
Distinguishing between a company and brand purpose
Venturing beyond semantics and combatting the spectre of greenwashing, it's crucial to differentiate between “company purpose” and “brand purpose”. Failure to do so often leads to a risky trajectory towards strategic misalignment and probable failure.
At its core, company purpose encapsulates the existential ethos of an organisation, anchoring the mission, vision, and values that guide decisions and actions across a broad spectrum of impact. On the other hand, with a narrower focus, brand purpose places the brand as a function of marketing whereby, more often than not, short-term thinking drives customer perceptions and results in little more than a short-lived, one-time transaction.
Preserving the sanctity of purpose
When brand purpose supersedes the company's foundational purpose, it signals a perilous shift towards prioritising transient brand goals over enduring organisational values. Such a shift not only risks diluting the authenticity of a mission but also sets the stage for strategic dissonance, potentially eroding stakeholder trust and undermining long-term sustainability. This nuanced understanding underscores the need to preserve the sanctity of an overarching purpose, ensuring it remains the unwavering North Star guiding all facets of strategic decision-making and operational execution, unaffected by the fluctuating tides of marketing and sales.
Utilising SABRE: A strategic framework
The SABRE framework emerged as a guiding light to help us navigate the complex terrain of purpose statement formulation [1]. Rooted in analytical rigour and a commitment to transformative impact, SABRE – Societal, Authentic, Believable, Relevant, and Engaging – provided us with a multidimensional lens to scrutinise and refine our purpose. This framework, outlined in the Harvard Business Review's article “What makes a great corporate purpose statement” [2], provided a strategic platform for constructing narratives that deeply resonated with Snorkl’s founders and advisors.
From abstract to impact
As evidenced by companies like Novo Nordisk and Philips [3], IKEA [4] and Scania [5], adopting a more structured approach to articulating and embedding purpose into the business model results in a balance struck between ambition with authenticity. These companies showcase how meticulously crafted purposes can catalyse innovation and societal contribution, embodying the principles of transformation and authenticity at the core of an organisation’s ethos.
At Snorkl, our mission is clear and simple: To drive sustainability in business, empowering companies to achieve meaningful and lasting impact at scale and pace. But as our mission is what we do, our purpose is why we do it: Our purpose is to help safeguard resources for future generations. As advocates of higher purpose, we are committed to applying structured principles like the SABRE framework across everything we do. We understand that our purpose guides all our future decisions and actions. So, before initiating any new development, change or redesign, we ensure our purpose is at the forefront, informing everyone about every step we take.
Furthermore, through our collaborative efforts, we ensure our partners know how important our principles are to us and that every solution aligns with our mission and purpose. We also make sure we know what they hold most dear too. So that together, we can unleash untapped potential and make a tangible difference in improving the lives of those served by our platform, all while safeguarding resources for future generations.
