Moshe’s Blog

Five Unconventional Ways to Answer the Big Question: What Business Are You In?

What Business Are You In?

“Why are we here?” debated the leadership team in a workshop I was leading. They were not talking about our particular session; they were referring to what their purpose was as an organization.

This goes hand-in-hand with the number one question of famed management consultant Peter Drucker: What business are you in?

These are simple and hard questions that every leader needs to answer–both for their company and for themselves. Most don’t.

One common trap leaders fall into is to avoid the questions by being “too busy” in the grind, not making time for big-picture thinking. The counter to this is the Amare leadership principle of taking the long view (read all 7 Principles here).

Another common pitfall is a myopic focus on products, neglecting the customer perspective. Consider the downfall of the railroads, who thought they were in the train business, not realizing their true role as transportation companies until airlines swooped in and won their market share. The remedy? A blend of customer attunement, self-awareness, and humility.

What business are you in?

Why does your organization exist?

Let’s explore actionable steps to answer these questions and realign your leadership and vision.

5 Amare Techniques to Answer the Toughest Questions in Your Business

Here are five innovative and outside-the-box techniques–some internally focused, some externally oriented–to use with your leadership team. All invite creativity and a deeper, more intuitive perspective of why your organization exists and what business you are in.

1. Ask crazy questions. In a safe workshop environment, ask these ‘no wrong answer’ questions, with your business in mind. A) If we were a form of transportation, what would we be and why? B) If we were a famous person, alive or dead, who would we be and why? C) If we were a kind of music or band, what would we be and why? Notice the patterns, especially in the ”why” responses!

2. Go artsy. Organize a session for your team to express your organization’s purpose and identity through non-verbal art–painting, drawing on a flipchart, sculpting, or even making music. This exercise taps into different parts of the brain and can unveil profound insights. Be super clear that this is not about artistic talent or merit. After the creation phase, have everyone explain their artwork in terms of what it conveys about your organization’s purpose and business.

3. Hold a customer immersion day. Organize a day where team members ‘become’ customers or other designated stakeholders, experiencing their journey firsthand. Go through the entire process of engagement, start to finish. Note any pain points, delights, and unexpected experiences.

4. Host stakeholder storytelling workshops. Invite your key stakeholders to share their stories and experiences with your products or services. Encourage them to be open and honest. Request stories of how your offerings fit into their daily lives. Record and use these narratives to understand the emotional and practical impact your business has on customers. (Alternatively, go to their workspaces and spend a day in their shoes).

5. Reverse role play. Have leadership team members assume the roles first of competitors, then of businesses in completely different industries. Each member presents how these ‘others’ might view your company, discussing the perceived purpose and business identity. This role reversal highlights unseen opportunities or blind spots in the current view of your business.

Answering “Why are we here?” and “What business are we in?” isn’t just about finding the right words. It is a journey towards understanding the deeper essence of your business and its place in the world, which often requires stepping outside traditional frameworks. It’s about embracing the Amare Way of love-powered leadership, where business is not just a commercial activity but a human-centric endeavor.

The imaginative exercises outlined above–be it through artistic interpretation or immersive customer experiences–are pathways to uncovering profound insights about your organization’s purpose and identity. They will provide fresh lenses to examine what you do and why you do it so that your future growth is focused, intentional, and all it can possibly be.

Lead with the Best Version of You & Your Team

I work with executives and leadership teams on being the best version of themselves, through the Amare Way of love-powered leadership. For more information, contact me here.