In many discussions I catch myself interjecting the question “what problem are we solving right now”. Sometimes it works wonders to get a conversation back on track. I stumbled across “Golden Circle” a while back – in fact, it was a client who uses it extensively in their organization.
Simon Sinek has summed up focusing on the goal in a wonderfully catchy way and he also presents it beautifully, it’s one of the most viewed youtube videos (18 min – or the short version in 5 min).
For me the terminology was confusing at first
- Why – the overarching goal, vision or core belief
For us, improuv, it might look like this:
We want people to be able and willing to work in an interesting, fulfilling and enjoyable work environment. - How – the difference
for example:
A pleasant working environment is only sustainable if it is also effective for the organizations. We are working with stakeholders to develop the skills and structures to provide such an environment. - What – concrete actions, products and services
for example:
We provide coaching for organizations and training for individuals embarking on this journey.
I had previously used a different assignment of terms: For the goals we had used “Why – What – How”. In our internal list we had used the three terms “Identity – Vision – Mission”, which can be mapped one-to-one to the Golden Circle
But the concept is too good – and too well communicated – to ignore. I adapt my use of language and materials.
And don’t forget: be sure to watch (or re-watch) the YouTube video.
