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Three Exercises to Vision a More Passionate 2014

Earlier this year I spent time committing to paper various exercises business teams can do to better vision who they are and why they exist.

For all us marketing types, December is an interesting time of the year. It’s a time where we are busy finishing projects for this year while at the same time visioning projects for next year.

Earlier this year I spent time committing to paper various exercises business teams can do to better vision who they are and why they exist.

These exercises were designed to help businesses find THE PASSION CONVERSATION that can spark long-lasting word of mouth from customers and employees about a brand, organization or cause.

If you find yourself in need of better understanding what your business stands for, why it deserves to exist and what exactly appeals most to your customers then these three “Passion Exploration” exercises might help.

You game for playing?

If so, here’s my suggestion. Gather together a small team of no more than 16 people, but no less than eight. Be sure to go outside of your department and include people from other areas of your business. (Bonus points for including people who interact directly with your customers.) Pick one, two or do all three of the following Passion Explorations.

Passion Exploration #1 | WHAT’S OUR CAUSE?

Gather a group of employees together and split them into smaller groups of three-to-four people. Find markers, index cards and large poster paper. Have each small group work together to draw a picture of your brand as a superhero. Make sure they assign their superhero a superpower. Then, ask the following questions to spark a meaningful discussion:

  • What injustice(s) is our hero’s fighting against?
  • Who does she protect?
  • Why do people admire her?
  • Who are the arch villains?
  • What is our hero’s kryptonite? (What can render her powerless?)
  • How might this cause stand-alone from our brand? (How is it about far more than just us?)
  • What are some stories that tell us that this fight is something people care a lot about?
  • How might we invite people (customers) to join our superhero’s fight

    • Passion Exploration #2 | JUST ONE THING

    Again, gather together some employees. For this exercise consider keeping the group small, no more than eight people. Set the scene by having everyone imagine that your business can only do ONE THING for your customers. Yep. ONE THING. Have people write that ONE THING down on a note card and then, one-by-one, have people share what they’ve written down. Next, use the following questions to spark a group discussion:

  • What should our ONE THING be?
  • How could we do it really, really well?
  • What would make us remarkable at that ONE THING?
  • What would make it amazing and fun?
  • What is stopping us from focusing on that ONE THING?
  • How might we overcome those obstacles to better focus on that ONE THING?

    • Passion Exploration #3 | WOULD YOU BE MISSED?

    It’s easy in the midst of our never-ending workload to forget about the value we add to others’ lives. But that’s the very reason we’re in business in the first place. This exercise explores just that, the passions that people have for why we do what we do. Gather a small group together and for 30 minutes answer the following questions:

  • Who would miss us if our business ceased to exist?
  • Would our customers be able to find another business that treats them as well as we do?
  • Would our employees be able to find another employer that respects them as much as your business does?

    • It might be nice to also do this same exercise with your customers, adapting the questions a bit. Listen for and discuss the possible shared hidden passion conversations inside the answers to why customers and employees would miss your business. If you happen to discover that your business wouldn’t be missed, then you’ve got some serious matters to address in what’s left of 2013 to make the most out of what’s possible in 2014.

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