Put purpose first to produce the highest profits

It’s easy to fixate on making money when running a business. And at times, doing so is the right move. However, research conducted by the Harvard Business Review and EY found that combining purpose with profit pays dividends, with companies espousing purpose regularly more profitable than firms lacking purpose.

Classifying businesses into purpose prioritizers, developers, and laggards, the study found that prioritizers enjoyed the best financial results: 58 percent saw revenues grow by 10 percent or more. Just 15 percent saw revenues flatline. Meanwhile, among laggards, 42 percent of companies flatlined.

Why does purpose outperform? Surveyed business leaders believe that purpose offers many benefits, including increased employee satisfaction, greater customer loyalty, and higher quality products and services. Achieve the above, and you stand a good chance of bolstering financial performance.

The findings echo Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies, a classic business book written by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. Chronicling visionary companies from 1926 to 1990, the authors found that firms that put purpose at center stage generated far greater returns for investors than those that didn’t.

Purpose may inspire a vision that withstands the test of time. Importantly, a long-term mission, according to Collins and Porras, sustains companies and inspires better strategic planning — not just today but for years to come. Emphasizing short-term profits, meanwhile, may encourage mediocrity, like cutting corners to pump up quarterly reports.

That doesn’t mean companies can ignore profits, of course. As Collins puts it, “Profit is like oxygen, food, water, and blood for the body; they are not the point of life, but without them, there is no life.” So hone your company’s “point,” and you may establish a foundation that lasts a long time. But make sure you’re getting your square meals too.