The Une, Weekly #13 — The How

Hi there, welcome to The Une, Weekly #13. A moment to reflect on the How of the Why. And how our What is a way to turn the Why into a How. The What of The How of the Why. Still with us?

The Why
Start with why probably has been one of the most successful ideas that conquered the business world the last 20 years or so.

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle has travelled far and wide, carried in many decks and keynotes. It contributed largely to the big purpose shift, where even washing powder and toilet paper brands were suddenly talking about their inspiring reason for being.

The Why is often not what impact brands struggle with. They’re mission driven and have a clear sense of their reason for being. They might need help with formulation and communication, how to think and talk about it in a way that inspires and activates internal and external audiences, but the purpose is clear.

The challenge comes after.

What follows is the How of the Why.

Turning a purpose into logic that actually guides decision making and creates real value.

The How of the Why
When there’s only an inspiring why, but not a clear how, purpose finds it hard to be more than a statement that lives on the website or in the keynote.

Simply put, the How of the Why is about strategy.

A good strategy turns a purpose into a principles that help people make choices that are coherent and add up.

If the logic is clear, they can take ownership, responsibility and action.

When opportunities arise.
When things get difficult.
When suppliers need to be chosen.
When campaigns are being developed.
When a product could be launched sooner but means accepting more environmental impact.
When a market looks attractive, but entering it would undermine relationships the business has built over years.
When a new hire questions a decision and wants to understand why the company does things this way.

There isn't always an easy answer.
But with the right logic, teams know which decision contributes to the value the organization aims to create.

And, instead of looking up for answers every time, they can make the call themselves.

The What of the How of the Why
Value Design is a way of thinking and deciding that sits between purpose and action.

It starts with three value principles: how the organisation creates commercial, social and ecological value as a single, integrated logic that guides every meaningful choice.

At the intersection of these three, lives a Unifying Intent — a directional commitment that unifies the value principles and says what the organisation is fundamentally trying to do in the world.

The point is not to optimise all three at once. That's not how real decisions work. Trade-offs are inevitable. The point is to make them visible, so the team knows what they're choosing, what they're accepting, and why.

When that logic is clear, purpose can travel beyond the website and show up in briefs, budget meetings, supplier conversations, product launch decisions, new hire selections and more.

Value Design turns a Why into a How. Not just any 'how', but a 'how' that the whole organisation can actually act on in a coherent way.

Curious about the How of your Why? 👋 hello@une.eco

Move as one. For the benefit of all.

— Laurens & Jorn