We talk a lot about resilience these days. But how can an organization truly weather storms, adapt, and bounce back?
For me, organizational resilience doesn’t depend only on the strength of processes, economic performance, or the robustness of its supply chain. I deeply believe the answer lies… within. In what Simon Sinek calls the “Why”—that deeper reason that gives meaning to action, what forms a company’s backbone: its purpose, its values, its culture.
In this article, I’ll focus more specifically on working on purpose.
💡 The “What” and “How” trap
Simon Sinek, in his now-famous Golden Circle, explains that 80% of companies operate at the level of the “What”—what they do—and sometimes the “How”—how they do it. But very few take the time to explore their “Why”: their purpose, their values, their identity.
And that’s where resilience begins.
🧱 A purpose: foundation and refuge
For me, purpose and values are foundations anchored in the ground.
They withstand storms.
They are the refuge when crises hit.
The bedrock we come back to, reconnect with, and reinvent ourselves from.
They are also, above all, the driver of belonging—what makes you want to get up in the morning with enthusiasm.
Many companies have understood this. You see value charters popping up, inspiring posters in the hallways…
But displaying isn’t enough.
🧩My experience: bringing an organization’s identity to the surface
When I was Transformation Director, I had the opportunity to lead this work in depth for an organization.
The goal was clear: make this organization “one true team,” no longer a set of market segments operating in silos.
The Executive Committee first met to retrace the organization’s history: its products, flagship programs, major missions, and above all, the vision we wanted to carry into the future.
Then we launched a momentum at each site. We called on volunteers to contribute to creating the organization’s purpose. We first presented the work done by the Executive Committee, answered their questions, and then each group took ownership of the topic independently. No imposed methodology—just one constraint: three weeks and one sentence. And it sparked incredible energy!
At each site, around the world, teams competed in creativity to answer this simple but powerful question:
“If our business line didn’t exist, what would our Group be missing? The world?”
The answers were as diverse as they were inspiring. Each site imagined a unique way to express itself, but with a shared foundation of intentions and values, you could see each site’s DNA in the proposed sentences.
The Executive Committee and I were deeply moved by the energy, the enthusiasm, the “sparkle in the eyes” we saw everywhere.
Nearly 100 people, from 8 different sites, took part in this adventure.
At the end of this work, eight sentences emerged, each meaningful, infused with the DNA specific to each site and each country. Nuances, sensibilities… yet a striking closeness in the messages. Now we had to make a choice.
A few months later, the Executive Committee and two representatives from each site came together for a memorable day—a moment of meaning, pride of belonging, and alignment. It laid the first building blocks of a leadership team truly connected to employees.
And one sentence emerged that deeply embodied what the teams felt and wanted to carry together.
All participants in this project then became ambassadors to all employees across the organization.
This purpose was quickly adopted and translated into every dimension: in manufacturing, engineering, programs, support functions…
This project left a lasting mark on our organization. Because beyond the sentence, there was above all a collective momentum, emotional alignment, and deep commitment.
And I remain convinced that when successive crises (COVID, components, supply chain) shook our organization, it was partly this purpose that helped us weather the storms—binding together the collective formed by the Executive Committee, managers, and employees.
To broaden the perspective beyond my own experience, I’d like to share two company trajectories: Kodak, an emblematic case of a missed transformation, and SKFK, an SME that made its purpose a lever for coherence and impact.
📉 The Kodak example: a company stuck in its model
Kodak dominated the world of photography with its film. But instead of refocusing on its deeper mission, it clung to its business model. Yet Kodak had invented digital photography!
What it lacked was a compass. A clear purpose.
👉 If I had been an employee at Kodak, I would have liked to phrase this “Why” as follows:
“Capturing and preserving human emotions through images, whatever the medium.”
With this purpose, Kodak could have:
- Seen film as a means, not an end.
- Positioned itself as a player in the digital transition.
- Offered innovative services for managing and sharing images.
- Become a trusted partner as usage evolves.
But it confused business model and mission
It thought: “Our business is film.”
When it could have thought, in line with the purpose I imagined just above: “Our mission is to help people keep a record of what matters.”
The first locked them in. The second would have opened them up.
📌 The inspiring SKFK example
During my walk along the ocean, I stopped by SKFK, a company in the Basque Country that designs clothing that respects the environment and the people who make it.
With my friend Carine, we discovered their mission displayed on the company walls:
“SKFK represents our way of seeing life… We know perfection doesn’t exist, but we keep improving every day to reduce our impacts.”
At first, I remained cautious… is it marketing?
But by talking with the teams, seeing their smiles, the calmness of the place, the leader’s welcome…
💡 I understood their mission wasn’t just a slogan—it was lived every day. You could feel the culture down to the details.
🛠️ Embodying purpose at every level
For me, embodying purpose at every level of the organization, in line with its values, is one of the paths to organizational resilience.
It starts with involving employees in defining it.
Then comes the work of embodying it at every level of the organization. This is key work, led by the manager, to bring purpose into the day-to-day of their team, make it resonate and come alive, enable everyone to express themselves and express their sense of belonging. This exercise is powerful, meaningful, and engaging for the team.
That’s how you cultivate an organizational culture that is aligned, alive, resilient.
💬 And you?
Has your organization defined its purpose? Is it embodied, lived, shared?
Would you like to make it a lever for transformation and resilience?
👉 I can support you on this journey: help you (re)discover your purpose, clarify your values, and put in place the mechanisms to bring them to life—concretely—at the heart of your culture and management practices.
🎯 So your teams can rediscover meaning, coherence, and the momentum needed to move forward—even in the storm.
📩 Contact me via my website (“Book a call” button) to discuss it.
