Start with Why

Toyota and Honda knew this better than Volkswagen. When they decided to add luxury models to their lineups, they created new brands, Lexus and Acura respectively, to do it. Toyota had become a symbol of efficiency and affordability to the general population. They had built their business on a suite of low-cost cars. They knew that the market would not pay a premium for a luxury car with the same name or with the same logo on the hood.

Creative was more qualified than Apple to introduce a digital music product. The problem was, they advertised their product as a "5GB mp3 player." It is exactly the same message as Apple's "1,000 songs in your pocket." The difference is Creative told us WHAT their product was and Apple told us WHY we needed it.

We do better in places that reflect our own values and beliefs. It is beneficial to live and work in a place where you will naturally thrive because your values and beliefs align with the values and beliefs of that culture. The goal is not to hire people who simply have a skill set you need, the goal is to hire people who believe what you believe.

With a WHY clearly stated in an organization, anyone within the organization can make a decision as clearly and as accurately as the founder. A WHY provides the clear filter for decision-making. Any decisions—hiring, partnerships, strategies and tactics—should all pass the WHY test. It should be consistent with your WHY.

The idea that copying WHAT or HOW things are done at high-performing organizations will inherently work for you is just not true. Put simply, best practices are not always best. It is not just WHAT or HOW you do things that matters; what matters more is that WHAT and HOW you do things is consistent with your WHY. Only then will your practices indeed be best.