When Mission Drives Leadership Success

A Look at Warby Parker’s Approach to Culture That Drives Its Mission Forward

Warby Parker isn't just an eyewear company––it's a brand built on a social mission. From its inception, the company aimed to disrupt the overpriced and inaccessible eyewear industry, making quality glasses affordable and accessible to everyone. This social mission isn't just a marketing tagline. It serves as the north star guiding Warby Parker's company culture and every decision it makes.

This commitment to its mission is a key contributor to Warby Parker's success. In this post, we explore how the company's leadership style, deeply intertwined with its social purpose, has propelled it to become a leading eyewear brand.

But first, what’s a mission have to do with it?

A strong mission serves as a guiding light for businesses, offering several crucial advantages. It provides clarity and focus, acting as a filter to prioritize goals, strategies, and actions that align with the company's core purpose. This reduces distractions and keeps everyone focused on achieving the shared vision.

Beyond clarity, a well-defined mission empowers better decision-making. When faced with complex choices, it provides a framework for evaluation, ensuring decisions contribute to the long-term vision and don't compromise the company's values or sustainability. This not only minimizes impulsive choices but also fosters a sense of purpose and meaning among employees.

Ultimately, a strong mission can be the key to long-term success. It fosters employee engagement, attracts customers who share similar values, and builds brand loyalty. Additionally, it serves as an anchor during challenging times, guiding the company through difficulties while staying true to its core values. By prioritizing its social mission, Warby Parker demonstrates the power of this approach, achieving success while making a positive impact on the world.

Different Perspectives of Mission

While both profit-first and social impact mission-first businesses can benefit from having a strong mission, the approach to its role and function differs significantly.

For profit-first businesses, the mission primarily serves as a strategic tool to guide decision-making, build brand identity, and attract customers. While the mission may hold some value importance, it often takes a backseat to maximizing profits and shareholder value. Additionally, the mission in these businesses can be more flexible and adaptable to changing market conditions or new opportunities. If a more profitable path emerges that deviates from the original mission, there might be greater willingness to adjust or even abandon the mission altogether. Ultimately, success in profit-first businesses is primarily measured by financial metrics like profitability, market share, and shareholder returns. While social impact might be considered as a positive side effect, it's not the primary driver of decisions or the main measure of success.

We contrast this with how mission-first or social impact companies use their mission as a north star. In social impact mission-first businesses, the mission is the fundamental driving force behind all decisions and actions. Profit generation, while important for sustainability, is seen as a means to achieve the social impact goals. The mission in these businesses is often less flexible and serves as a non-negotiable guiding principle. Decisions are evaluated against their potential to contribute to the social impact goals, and opportunities that compromise the mission are likely to be rejected. And with regard to measurement, success is measured through a combination of financial and social impact metrics. The company tracks its progress towards achieving its social goals alongside traditional financial indicators like profitability and growth.

In essence, for profit-first businesses, the mission is a valuable tool, but not the ultimate purpose. Social impact mission-first businesses, on the other hand, elevate their mission to the core of their existence, making it the driving force behind every decision and the primary measure of their success.

A Look at Warby Parker

Having a strong mission as a north star is not just about feeling good––it's a strategic approach that can significantly impact a company's success. It provides clarity, improves decision-making, fosters employee engagement, and builds brand loyalty, ultimately contributing to long-term sustainability and positive societal impact. This is something Warby Parker knows a thing or two about. Let’s take a look:

Mission-Driven Decision Making

Every choice at Warby Parker, from product development to marketing strategies, is evaluated through the lens of its social mission. This ensures that the company remains true to its core values and doesn't deviate from its original purpose. For example, Warby Parker's "Buy a Pair, Give a Pair" program, which provides glasses to individuals in need for every pair purchased, isn't just a feel-good initiative; it's a fundamental aspect of the business model, directly tied to its mission of making vision accessible.

Shared Ownership and Collaborative Leadership

Warby Parker's co-CEO structure, with Neil Blumenthal, David Gilboa, and Tenley Bleck in leadership roles, fosters a collaborative environment. This shared ownership model avoids a singular, hierarchical leadership style, encouraging diverse perspectives and open communication. This collaborative approach aligns with the company's mission, as it values collective problem-solving and empowers employees to contribute meaningfully to achieving the shared vision.

Transparency and Open Communication

The company prioritizes transparency throughout its operations, not just selected pockets. This includes openly sharing financial information with employees, fostering open communication channels, and actively encouraging feedback from all levels. This transparency builds trust and fosters a sense of ownership among employees, further aligning them with the company's mission. Additionally, Warby Parker's impact reports offer detailed information on its social and environmental initiatives, demonstrating its commitment to accountability and stakeholder engagement.

Empowering Employees and Fostering Growth

Warby Parker invests heavily in its employees, recognizing them as the driving force behind the company's success. The company provides extensive training and development opportunities, encouraging continuous learning and professional growth. This empowers employees to take ownership of their roles, contribute effectively to the mission, and become advocates for the brand.

Adaptability and Continuous Improvement

What we see is the leadership at Warby Parker understands that the business landscape is ever-evolving. They embrace a culture of continuous improvement, readily adapting to changing market dynamics and customer needs. This agility allows them to stay true to their mission while navigating challenges and exploring new opportunities.

By weaving its social mission into the very fabric of its leadership style, Warby Parker has created a unique and successful business model. This approach fosters a dedicated and empowered workforce, builds trust with customers, and ensures that the company remains true to its core values. Warby Parker serves as a testament to the power of a mission-driven approach, demonstrating that success can be achieved while making a positive impact on the world.