Your Goals Are Our Goals

Before sailors had the modern luxury of satellite navigation, they relied on celestial navigation. The North Star consistently points to the north (in case you didn’t know that) and is always visible, therefore, a reliable way to guide the voyage ahead.

Much like the North Star in the sky, every business should have something they can consistently point to and focus on as a reliable source of direction to guide their path ahead.  

In the workplace, the North Star is what keeps everyone aligned and attentive to team goals. This keeps everyone consistent and accountable with results and motivated toward a certain outcome. A North Star should be a simple, memorable, and inspiring statement that summarizes your company's mission, vision, and core values. The North Star should be future-focused, pushing you toward something. Whatever you coin as your North Star, it should remind your team about why your company exists and what you're striving to achieve. The phrase can also help you build brand awareness in the marketplace if you choose to share it publicly. Making decisions and prioritizing actions is easier when looked at through the lens of your North Star.

In October 2022, we defined our North Star for Light. We wanted ours to be a long-term, high-level, aspirational goal that will motivate, inspire, and uplift the team. As we held a team discussion around this, we considered the following:  

• Our North Star must lead to revenue, reflect client value, and measure progress.  
• Our North Star will act as the main way to determine the relationship between our business results and our client engagement.
• Our North Star should also help attract and retain employees.

We asked ourselves, what do we want to be known for in 3-5 years? And our answers were:

• To be the premier complex financial consultant in the FM.
• To make business feel light for our clients.
• To continue growing community support.
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After much discussion and thought, we landed on (drumroll, please): Your Goals Are Our Goals. We found that this applies to both our clients and our employees alike with their unique goals. When our clients have a goal; big or small, financial or otherwise, we dive in to help them reach those goals as if they are our own. We do this for our employees as well. Whenever we can help our clients and team members reach their goals, we do!  You have an interest in real estate? Let’s dabble in that! You want to make a transition to a different role? Let’s explore that!  

If you don’t have a North Star yet, I bet you’re sold on the idea by now, right? Here are a few questions to get you started on brainstorming your own:  

1. Why does your company exist? What is your purpose?  

2. What impact do you want to make?

3. What are your company’s core values? What key principles and beliefs guide your behaviors and decisions?  

Once you’ve settled on your North Star, communicate it with your entire team. Sing it from the rooftops! Let it be a part of who you are as a team, with constant reminders so it becomes part of your culture and identity. Just like the North Star in the sky, these objectives will guide your journey ahead.

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