Find Your Why: a practical Guide for Discovering Purpose for You and Your Team pdfdrive com

Candidate Why Statement Exercise
(
25 MINUTES)
Split the group into two teams of about the same size. Working independently, each team will
write one Candidate Why Statement on a fresh flip-chart page and then present it to the rest of
the room. Use the instructions below to give them context before they get started.
First, to write the “contribution” element of the Why Statement each team needs to look at the flip
chart in the front of the room that lists all of the verbs and action phrases they came up with
earlier. The team members need to decide, together, which verb or action phrase seems to best
capture the contribution they make as an organization. This becomes the contribution part of their
Candidate Why Statement. It’s important for them not to get hung up on the dictionary definition of
these verbs and action phrases. It’s the feeling the words evoke that’s important. As they work on
this, tell them not to worry about passing over the other themes on the flip chart, some of which
they may feel also represent who they are, yet aren’t the clear winner. They will come back into
play later on when we look at HOWs. For now, each team needs to focus on choosing the verb or
action phrase that is first among equals—the one that deeply resonates on a visceral level.
Next, they need to review the impact statements on the other flip charts at the front of the room.
From that list they must draw the “impact” part of their Candidate Why Statement.
The goal for each group is to write a Candidate Why Statement that is so inspiring that the other
team will say, “Let’s go with yours!”
Give the teams twenty-five minutes to write one Candidate Why Statement each, reminding them
again that they must draw on the words and phrases displayed on the flip charts at the front of the
room. It is vital that the statements come from this material. Otherwise, people may fall back on
general aspirational language or a branding or marketing position.
FACILITATOR TIP
As the teams start work on this exercise, they may get into a semantic debate about the meaning
of certain words. If that happens, refer them back to the stories behind the words and the
underlying feeling. It is not so much the dictionary definition of the words that matters. What’s
more important is the deeper meaning these words have for the team.

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To help the teams stay on target, tell them that they will each be asked to bring their Candidate
Why Statement to life by linking it to two stories represented on the flip charts.
Twenty-five minutes is not a long time for this exercise, but it is enough. We keep it short because
we want people to go with their gut (a.k.a. their limbic brain) and not overthink it. After all, the goal
at this moment is not to get all the way to a final Why Statement, but to take the first step toward
it. We also like to create a little time pressure because it tends to lead people to rely on their
emotions. Fear of running out of time encourages them to say, “Oh, what the heck,” and just go
with what feels right.