Our blog series has given you an idea of a brand's vision, mission and values. But what methods are there to track them down? This time, we'll introduce you to one of the best-known and most successful: Simon Sinek's Golden Circle. There's also a template to download at the end of the blog series.
What is actually at the heart of a good brand story? What connects and inspires people? Are they interested in what you do? Secondary. How you do it? Yes, but also rather semi. Above all, your target group wants to know why you do something. At least bestselling author Simon Sinek is convinced of this and reveals why in his successful book.
- Book tip: "Always ask first: Why", Simon Sinek(e.g. on Amazon)
- Video tip: "Simon Sinek: How great leaders motivate action"(on TED.com)
A tool that is worth its weight in gold: The Golden Circle
The simpler, the easier to understand. That's why Simon Sinek has put it graphically in a nutshell and developed a simple tool that weights the three crucial questions of what, how and why. This way, you can also answer them for your company.
But be careful: if you answer the question of your own why, you quickly run the risk of getting lost in platitudes. You won't knock anyone's socks off with "Because we want to make the world a better place" or "Because we want to launch innovations". Your answer should be very specific to your company.
Take Harley Davidson, for example: for inspiration on how the big players do it, we'll show you the legendary motorcycle manufacturer's approach (you can find out more on the company's website):
- What do we do?
Classic motorcycles - How do we do what we do?
Until 2020: "We are on a global quest to create the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders, with a focus on increasing rider enthusiasm and retention."
Since 2021: "Continuing our history and leading our industry through innovation, evolution and emotion." - Why do we do what we do?
Until 2020: "We fulfill dreams of personal freedom."
Since 2021: "We not only build motorcycles, we also stand for the perpetual longing for adventure. Freedom for the soul."
Take IKEA, for example :
The Swedish furniture giant formulates its why like this:
Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people - for customers, but also for our employees and the people who work for our suppliers. Our vision goes beyond facilities. We want our business to have a positive impact on the world - from where we source our materials to how we help our customers live more sustainable lives at home. By standing up for what we believe in, we can be part of positive change in society.
Why the why has two sides
You would probably answer a question about your personal why like any other person. After all, what could be more subjective than your innermost self? An example:
- "Why did you start your own business as a personal trainer?"
"Because sport plays a central role in my life."
The answer is actually quite logical, isn't it? Combined with an exciting story, this would be a good start. But that's just the inner why. However, you also need an external why . Because your target group naturally also wants to know what they get out of you becoming a personal trainer. That's why the external why describes the benefit for the customer.
- "Because I want to help people recognize and develop themselves and express this attitude through sport."
How to get to the bottom of your why
The basis for your about us story is defining your brand through its purpose. To do this, you can ask yourself the 3 famous questions and find your own Golden Circle :
- Why: What is your vision? What is your mission? Why does your company actually exist? What do you want to achieve and what are your goals? Why do you do what you do every day? What motivation drives you?
- How: What are the values of your company? How do your employees work (keyword: mission statement)? How is your company's offering positioned in comparison to the competition? What characteristics do the founders and/or employees share?
- What: What do you offer your target group? What range of products or services are you offering?
Link tip in between: The Junge bakery has done it by the book:
Download template for free - the time is ripe for your own Golden Circle
Ask yourself the 3 key questions using the Golden Circle to define your vision, mission and values. Once you've done this and communicated it to the outside world, you'll see that your target group will thank you.
To make it even easier for you to develop your brand mission statement, you can download a free PDF below (simply unzip the ZIP file and open the document in a PDF reader). On two pages, you can summarize the what, how and why of your company. We wish you every success!
Further parts from the Vision, mission and values blog series
- Part 1: The vision - where your company is going
- Part 2: The mission - why does your brand exist?
- Part 3: The values - what beliefs do you represent with your company?
- Part 4: The Golden Circle - with PDF template for developing your brand mission statement