In celebration of Vive’s 10 years in business we take a moment to look in the rear-view mirror, but what’s more important is the windshield and the continuous improvement that’s critical in driving innovative growth of a company.
After years of facilitating a SWOT analysis as part of an on-boarding process for new clients, I came to realize that from a marketing perspective, I was only focusing on one category – the strengths. True, the weaknesses, opportunities and threats helped me understand their business more closely, but those categories were not feeding the main purpose of creating a unique messaging platform which would ultimately feed all the media channels with a consistent message. Therefore, it was time to refine the facilitated workshop to focus on finding why a company exists beyond the things they make. This is revealed through a newly trademarked Zweck Analysis™; a customized, internal deep evaluation into a company’s core to find the purpose for being in business, no longer focusing on weaknesses, opportunities and threats but more on the expertise and values a company delivers to customers and employees.
‘Zweck’ is, in fact, the German translation for ‘purpose.’ Vive has always believed in placing strategy before tactics. The Zweck Analysis™ is no different, as it begins the process of brand storytelling to determine what a company’s unique purpose is – their why.
The onsite workshop typically includes 5-10 executive leaders where I’ll ask specific questions to discover the ‘why.’ The responses are recorded and the Vive team then identifies similar categories and begins to process key differentiators. The workshop typically takes 1.5 hours depending on the group size.
I believe that leaders must create a clear vision to the purpose for being in business. Every company has a unique drive that tells their story and the Zweck Analysis™ helps us discover exactly what that differentiator is.
As the newest Viver on staff, the team has welcomed me warmly as I’ve welcomed this new opportunity in my career. I’m happy to be back in Milwaukee, and even happier to be at Vive. The culture here is friendly and upbeat, and there is nothing that makes a job better than working on a talented team in a beautiful lakeside office.
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