Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly is one of those quiet companies with a good reputation and steady double-digit growth. Last week at the BRITE 08 conference at Columbia University, Mark Kershisnik, the executive director of Eli Lilly and Co. market research and US marketing services, said that Lilly’s sustainable success is rooted in a shared, common purpose that everyone in the global company is passionate about:
Developing innovations to help patients succeed in the ways they want to lead their lives,
which goes far beyond developing scientific innovations.
?“We exist to solve tough problems that help to get people healthy and earn a decent return on our investments. This is a deep-rooted belief throughout the company. This is what motivates us – not being the biggest or making the most money,†explained Mark.
One of the company’s programs that’s good for patients and good for Lilly is Oncology on Canvas, a global art competition where people confronted with cancer share their journey through their art.? More than 2,000 pieces of art from 43 countries were submitted as part of the 2006 competition, now traveling around the world. The 2008 competition is underway.
[photopress:Embrace_Life_Lilly_Oncology_on_Canvas_1_2.jpg,full,centered]
The benefit of Oncology on Canvas for Lilly goes beyond corporate citizenship.? Mark said the art has been an incredibly powerful way for Eli Lilly scientists to emotionally understand the person for whom they are developing new drug treatment.? “The art makes the patient show up in our organization in a graphical, emotional way, and helps us think about the patient on their terms, not ours.â€
Lilly is a great example of what happens when a company organizes around its customers, with a passion for providing value to those customers:? financial success, sustainable innovation, low employee turnover, and a stellar corporate reputation.
PS— The visual above is titled “Embrace Life” and was a winner of the Best of the United States(3rd) in the 2006 Oncology on Canvas competition
Purpose, passion, profit – in that order. Nice.
So necessary to hear about companies that aren’t positioning themselves and their brand as having the values their demographic holds and generate the appearance of shared connection but truly organize around a values-driven purpose that they can really stand behind and connect from.
I had the pleasure of meeting Lois and Mark at the BRITE conference… What a relief to meet at pharmaceutical executive that is devoted to enhancing the lives of the people his company serves, rather than just pursuing new drugs that may or may not enhance the quality of life or have a real benefit. I’ve spent the past seven years working with ill children and families through Soaringwords. I deeply appreciate the healing power that comes from giving patients the opportunity to pay it foward and to be defined as something larger than your illness. Kudos to Lilly.