The Case For Putting Your Mission At The Heart Of Your Strategy with Waymo's CPO

In the HBR article, “Put Purpose at the Core of Your Strategy,” the authors describe an intensive study that they conducted to understand the strategies high-growth companies use to drive growth. 

The authors were surprised to discover one strategy that kept surfacing: putting purpose at the core of your company strategy.

Across my thirty plus interviews with chief people officers (CPOs), Waymo serves as one of the best examples of how a strong sense of purpose can drive culture and ultimately growth strategy. In this interview with CPO Becky Bucich, she does a brilliant job of breaking down Waymo’s culture and the work her team does to foster it.

A few highlights from this conversation include: 

1. A culture built around Waymo's mission to "make roads safer." 

The self-driving car company strives to make the world safer, and this mission bleeds into everything that employees think, do, and say. 

“I still remember my first day at Waymo more than four years ago. During my orientation, we each shared why we joined Waymo, and the stories were so touching. People spoke about family members who were unable to get behind the wheel and the tragic loss of loved ones,” Becky said.

2. Becky shared three unique ways she fosters culture. 

- A monthly newsletter and live showcase of a story of a "Waymonaut" who demonstrated a core value. 
- Setting aside time to volunteer in the community. 
- Accessibility to their product. When launching in San Francisco, Waymo launched in all micro-publications around the city to reach as many segments of the population as possible. 

3. Why she leverages just-in-time learning to develop first-line managers

“We offer quite a bit of just-in-time training. For example, after conducting our employee engagement survey, we train based on the results.” Bucich and her team also hold manager circles, where newer managers can learn from another manager who has more wisdom or experience in a relevant skill."

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She covered the above and much more in the full interview. 

Enjoy! 

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