A purpose that really sinks in
'Touching lives, for a better world'. That’s the purpose that drives Stahl and all their processes, plans and communication. A purpose that had to be put on the map, in a big way. After all, you don't want it to be ‘just a slogan’ that never leaves the boardroom; you want all your employees to continuously incorporate it into their work. This requires that the purpose isn’t only understood, but also felt. That way, the content is clear to all employees and they can actually do something with it. We want to change telling into experiencing!
From information tot storytelling
Of course, we wouldn't be GI if we didn't first completely analyse the purpose. We wanted to know, among other things, how this purpose emerges in the organisation, what the underlying vision is and how Stahl will work with this in the long term. We read extensively and looked critically at the content. Only this way we could ensure that our piece of storytelling fully matches the goal and is clear to every employee. No matter in which position or country.
Then, we followed up with our second step: figuring out how to make the story tangible. In close collaboration with Stahl, we developed a 'gift box' for every employee. We captured the message (both literally and figuratively!) in text and images. We also wrote an overarching introduction and looked at which items we needed to reinforce each part of the story.
Unboxing the purpose
When opening the gift box, employees are presented with five boxes, each highlighting a different theme of the purpose. This theme is presented on the box and a short explanation is provided under the lid. The box itself contains an item that is related to that part of the purpose. For example, the 'sustainability' box contains a token for a personal tree whose growth you can follow for years. The 'touching lives' box contains a paid day to spend on volunteer work and another box contains tea for two, either to share with someone you know or a complete stranger. The package also contains an audio message from the director and a bag that can be reused again and again.
A nice bonus? The box is also a good way for new employees to get to know Stahl as an employer. Because it’s so 'personal', Stahl clearly shows what type of company they are.
Moving the story forward
Our goal - and that of Stahl of course - is for employees to really carry out the purpose. Not only by literally sharing the contents of the box with someone, but also by, for example, writing about a volunteer day or posting a photo of a moment in which they expressed the purpose. The texts inside the box encouraged them to do so. Once the boxes were distributed, their success became evident: stories were and are being shared, both internally and externally. Employees are proud to work at Stahl and actively promote this on LinkedIn and Facebook, for example. And that’s something that we, in turn, are proud of!
