Ethos is defined as the characteristic spirit of a culture, era, or community as manifested in its beliefs and aspirations. What is the ethos of your business and your dream? Have you taken the time to define it? It may sound strange, but great companies and great leaders take time to build this definition and then work hard to achieve it.
You will see ethos spelled out in Vision & Mission statements. You will find it in values statements written by corporate boards. Simon Sinek talks about ethos in his powerful book and talks regarding the power of Why. Visit the jobs page of Zappos and you will find a list of their Core Values – the first of which is delivering happiness.
Why take the time to do this work? The benefits are enormous. It helps you to find and attract the right people to help accomplish your mission. It can also be used to measure the worthiness of new opportunities. Does this opportunity match your core values? Will it help further your achievement of them? If the answer is yes, you know it is the right opportunity for you. So many choices become much easier to make when you line them up against your values and choose the path that most aligns.
Where to start? An easy place is to start with some categories. How does your business or life purpose operate in the world? What values most when it comes to serving customers, developing team members and forming partnership? How does your business or life purpose serve you? What goals does it fulfill in your life? What opportunities does is provide? Finally, what impact does your business or life purpose have on the world? What will your legacy be?
Take the time to write your ethos. Keep it close and live it daily. Use it to build a better team and let others know what you are about. Deciding your ethos is the best way to live it. Otherwise, you run the risk of letting others define it for you.
Need help writing your vision statement, mission statement and/or values? Book a session with me and we will create it together. This link allows instant booking, just click on me!
