Recently, I wrote about the three things leaders must define to create the foundation of an intentional culture in their fleets: purpose, values, and mission. By having a clear understanding of each, fleets will experience better retention, easier recruiting, and will achieve greater success tackling the challenges we face in the industry today.
This article is part two in the series, and will focus on the first pillar of that foundation: purpose.
In public fleet management, purpose serves as the guiding force that defines why a department exists and what it seeks to accomplish. As fleet leaders, identifying and articulating a purpose provides direction and aligns every team member with a common goal. It unlocks intrinsic motivation, informs decision-making, and helps build trust with stakeholders.
In this article, we’ll explore what purpose means, why it’s crucial, and how you can uncover your department's unique purpose using insights from the "Fleet Success Playbook" and "Good to Great."
First Things First: What is Purpose?
Purpose is the fundamental reason your fleet exists. In the context of public fleet management, purpose goes beyond simply keeping vehicles running. That’s the basic requirement, to be sure, but it connects the everyday tasks of maintenance, repairs, and vehicle management to the broader goals of the community.
Defining purpose requires looking at the bigger picture—what impact does your department have on the community, your stakeholders, and the lives of the people you serve? What would they do if your department didn’t exist? Why is it that they don’t just outsource this to a fleet management company?
When you really get clear, this sense of purpose can act as a north star, guiding your department through challenges and changes, and give you ideas how you can add more value to the organization than you are adding today. Whether it’s supporting emergency services, public works, or municipal operations, the purpose serves as a reminder that the fleet plays an incredibly vital role in the success of the community.
Why is Purpose Needed?
Purpose drives clarity, motivation, and cohesion in your fleet management department. Here’s why having a well-defined purpose is critical:
Clarity for Decision Making: With a clear purpose, it becomes easier to make decisions that align with long-term goals. For example, if your purpose centers on community safety, investing in safety-related technologies or proactive maintenance becomes a priority, allowing you to stay focused and say no to other good ideas.
Motivation and Engagement: Purposeful work is more motivating than simply completing tasks. When fleet employees understand that their efforts contribute to a larger, meaningful goal—like ensuring emergency vehicles are ready to respond at any time—they feel more engaged and committed. To this end, we like having our techs go out on a ride-along, so they can understand how their job impacts the jobs of others.
Stakeholder Alignment: Purpose helps communicate the fleet department’s value to other city departments and stakeholders. When stakeholders understand your department’s mission, they are more likely to support your initiatives and collaborate effectively, even offering ideas on how you can help them in their missions.
Resilience in Challenging Times: A strong sense of purpose can help your team stay focused and resilient during tough periods, like budget cuts or unexpected challenges. It keeps everyone centered on why the fleet exists, reminding them that their work serves a greater good, and not just helping some rich people get richer.
Examples of Compelling Fleet Purposes
A great purpose should be short, sweet, to the point, without losing its meaning. It should be memorable and should motivate team members.
For example, in years past at RTA, we had a bit of a wordy purpose: We bring confidence, clarity, and peace of mind to fleet managers by empowering them to save time, decrease costs, and make our roadways safer.
Talk about word salad. It was well intended, but it was too much. It was hard to remember in the day to day which made it difficult to connect with, and it definitely wasn’t inspiring anyone.
Now, our purpose is simple: We Help Fleets Succeed.
Everything we’ve ever done, everything we do today, and everything we’ll ever do as a company will align to that purpose. What about government fleets? Some of my favorite examples from public fleets (Feel free to steal these):
Without us, they walk – A city in Southern California
We Keep the City Moving – A Public Works Department in Utah
We Get Them There and Back Again, Safely – A School District (with a nod to Lord of
the Rings)We keep s@!# from backing up – A water/sewer utility
OK, I made the last one up, but that’s the sense you are going for. You want something that speaks to why the department is there, that evokes an emotional response of Hell Yes from your team. I also love identifying who I’m serving, and how I’m helping them in my purpose.
Steps to Discover Your Fleet's Purpose
To discover your purpose, here are a few steps abbreviated from the "Fleet Success Playbook":
1. Have everyone read through the list of real examples below (and the ones above):
3M: To solve unsolved problems innovatively.
Nike: To experience the emotion of competition, winning, and crushing competitors.
Walt Disney: To make people happy.
Fannie Mae: To strengthen the social fabric by democratizing home ownership.
Marriott: To make people away from home feel they are among friends and really wanted.
Mary Kay: To give unlimited opportunity to women.
Wal-Mart: To give ordinary folk the chance to buy the same things as rich people.
2. Take five to ten minutes to have everyone come up with and write down their own ideas for your purpose.
3. Have everyone share their ideas, writing them down on a flip pad as you go around the room.
4. Have each person vote on their one or two favorite purpose statements (but they cannot vote for their own). The leader goes last and breaks any ties.
5. Evaluate the top ideas against the criteria below. Keep refining it until at least two-thirds of the people in your group can honestly answer "Yes" to all of the questions below:
Is it personally inspiring?
Will this be as valid 100 years from now as it is today?
Does it help you think about other areas the fleet can serve and grow? (For example, Disney's purpose to make people happy helped propel the company from its initial strategy of cartoons into full-length feature animation, the Mickey Mouse Club, Disneyland, EPCOT Center, and so on).
Does it help you decide what activities not to pursue? (For example, Mary Kay likely wouldn’t suddenly start selling Men’s Outdoor Sportswear).
Is this purpose authentic—genuinely what the organization is all about—not just words on paper that “sound nice?”
Would this purpose be greeted with enthusiasm rather than cynicism by a broad
base of people in the organization?Would you feel proud in describing your work to your children and/or other loved
ones in terms of this purpose?
6. Congratulations! You’ve discovered your core purpose!
This article was authored and edited according to Government Fleet editorial standards and style. Opinions expressed may not reflect that of GF.
