Cut the Rugs
it takes deliberate choices to run a purpose-driven business
Photo by Glen Carrie on Unsplash
I walked toward the theater, the banging sounds of load-in greeting me long before I emerged into the stage light.
I scanned the space to assess how the set was coming together, taking note of the rugs on stage left and right with a squint. Then I made my way up the stairs to the center of the house.
I pushed down a chair bottom and took a seat. The person next to me watched the activity happening onstage intently.
I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could, she put up her hand and said, “I know. Cut the rugs.”
And I stood up to go and do exactly that.
I’d known from the first moment I heard her give a lecture that I wanted to work with her. She was the first person I'd met whose mind seemed to think about things the way mine did, or at least she seemed to speak the same language of specific choices rooted in a strong reason — and I found it exhilarating.
I later discovered that other people avoided working with her because, well, she was tough. But there I was with my hand in the air, thrilled about the opportunity and ready for the challenge.
I won't lie — she was tough.
First, she was a force in any room.
Second, she was relentless. Relentless in her commitment to telling a specific story. Relentless in her commitment to the text. And relentless in her commitment to getting everything right.
Or as I would say today, relentless in her commitment to getting every piece to fit.
Theatre brings together a group of people to tell a story. As the director, she knew the specific story she wanted to tell with a production. That story served as the filter for every choice we made.
Because we all worked with the same filter, we shared a certain logic. It's how she knew I was going to suggest cutting the rugs when I sat down next to her.
Running a purpose-driven business works much the same way.
Your company brings a group of people together to fulfill a purpose. You do your best work when you're all driving in the same direction and using the same logic to get there.
That's why you have a Core strategy and filter everything you do through it. You eliminate the things that don't fit and have a strong reason for the things that remain.
It takes a relentless commitment to deliberate choices, but the results are worth it.
So when the rugs aren’t helping you fulfill your specific purpose —
Cut them.
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