Rebooting your Big Why

Posted September 28, 2009

Man asking the bigger questions.
I’m often surprised at how many well-thought out social media strategies lack what I feel is the most important element: The Big Why

I’m not talking about financial goals, brand image improvements or new customer acquisition goals. Of course these are important elements of any strategy – we have to know where we’re headed – right?

But how often have you asked yourself, “Do I really care about these stated goals? Just say we hit our goals – even exceed them – so what?“ I’ll bet you $100 that you’ve asked this question many times. And guess what? Lightning, in fact, did not strike you dead.

It’s human to want more

We all want more from how we are living life. We want more happiness – and meaning. This is where the Big Why comes in handy.

Remember the time you woke up at 3:15AM with an overwhelming sense of clarity and mission? It may have happened in the weeks after a loved one died, or when you lost your job, or when your daughter went off to war. Your soul was pressed to the core like a chunk of coal and was eventually transformed into diamond-like clarity about what you needed to do. Your Big Why was staring you right in the face.

For the days and weeks that followed, your ideas at work,  how you treated your friends, how you felt about yourself – all these thing were powered by the your Big Why. And you were happy.
yellow flower

And then you lost it.

You got busy with the secondary stuff – the stuff that’s supposed to sit on top of your Big Why. You were so busy that you forgot to nurture your Big Why.

And so it withered.

Big Whys don’t die – ever. But they do come close, unless you nurture it:

Nurturing your Big Why

  • Talk a walk with your Big Why – reminder yourself why you’re so awesome to even possess such a huge one!
  • Share your Big Why at work. This can be scary, but your Big Why will love you for it!
  • Show your Big Why to your friends.
  • Write about it, paint it, sing about it. Whatever you need to do to make it a living, vibrant part of your every day life.
  • Find someone else with a Big Why – like Hildy Gottlieb, Sanjay Patel, Stacey Monk or Gabe O’Neill. Find out what they do to reboot their Big Whys.
  • Blog about it – and make it visual – like Vincent Hunt did with his Big Why.

You’ll be happier you did – and your pointless marketing strategy will suddenly make more sense. And if it doesn’t, you’ll tear it down and make it right.

How do you reboot your Big Why?

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  • Bethany - i think this is a big challenge for all parts of nonprofit work. Not only communicating the org's 'why' but remembering how to communicate the enthusiasm and energy that [hopefully] made you take on a career in the sector and/or that particular mission. Really appreciate the kick, John. Helps me rethink how we look at this whole community thing and actually engage with our friends.
  • It's all about being a human. Forget mailings, email campaigns and your Facebook Page and think about specific supporters and donors. What are their personal challenges? How do they spend time with their family? What is important to them as a person? Of course you can't spend 80 hours a week doing face-time with donors, but you can spend an hour with one person - right? That heart-to-heart connection might go a long way in fueling the organizations "Big Why". You know this already - because you're a solid human being!
  • This is one of the biggest challenges in donor stewardship. We often forget to thank donors for how they have specifically made a difference for our "Big Why." Donors want to feel good about their gift. Sharing how the "Big Why" will benefit is a great starting place.
  • Bethany - I think many non-profits forget to thank their donors. You can take things one step further by talking with them about the issues they are passionate about. Take a donor out to coffee once a week! If they're near the center, give them a tour.
  • John,

    Man did I really need this! Sometimes in the midst of it all - the work - the family - the fun - the pain and struggle, you just lose focus on the Big Why. I did.

    This post truly helped.

    Please keep writing.

    Peace,
    Frank
  • Thanks, Frank!
  • John, you're so right, as always. Getting back to the Big Why home base is so essential and so neglected.

    In my marketing consulting, I end up frequently wearing the coaching hat to get people back in touch with their mission (their dreams). When they get that energy flowing again, things feel easy again.
  • You do good work, Val!
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