So what about Business Missions? While it’s popular these days for CEO’s to have the “Mission Statement” hanging in the lobby and lunch room, few businesses actually LIVE their Mission Statements. It’s hard to do! No matter how well-crafted the Mission Statement is, it is extraordinarily difficult to get an entire Organization aligned with such a Mission, because it is exceedingly difficult to build a culture with the appropriate level of discipline and focus.
Actions speak louder than words. As a leader, you won’t get far without people following, because a leader’s boundary is a function of how many people he can engage in the pursuit of his vision, or Mission. Therefore, it is vitally important that you build an Organization that is capable and ready to support the Mission. In order to do so, at least two things must be accomplished:
You should start with a GOOD Mission. It must inspire, attract, and motivate people to join your organization and work together to achieve it. There are different things that inspire people. For example, my personal preference is for a Mission that focuses on serving others. However, other leaders may have different motivations such as profit, fame, or other distinction. There is plenty of room in the world for differences, which leads us to the next item.
Your Mission better be DIFFERENTIATED from others. So here’s what you do. Just go to MissionStatements.com, and pick one. Hey, it’s cheap and easy… Can you imagine? How far astray have we gone, where a nice, standard Mission Statement can be copied and pasted online, or a more thought out one purchased for a small fee? What happened to Vision and Leadership? What do we STAND FOR?
This is where Promises enter the picture. CEO’s, get it. Your Mission Statement doesn’t differentiate you anymore. Everyone has one, and most of them aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. If you want my Trust and my Loyalty, say what you mean and mean what you say. Make your Brand Promise, and deliver it every time.
If you want me to engage with your Mission, give me a Mission I can engage with. As a Customer, I want to know what you are going to do for me, and I might care about what you intend to do on a grander scale. So if you’re going to write a Mission Statement, tell me about things that matter. If you want to change the world, as long as it’s for the better, I’m behind you 100%. If you want a Mission your Customers can engage with, do you think maybe it would be a good idea to ask them what they want?
We have a Mission at WOM10, and that is to help our clients thrive by building Promise-Driven Organizations. Most people, I believe, have some personal Mission that goes well beyond what we can ever hope to accomplish within the context of our business lives. For those of us gifted with business skills and knowledge, it is truly a blessing when we find our Personal and Business Missions in solid alignment. And so it is.
The journey to becoming Promise-Driven is not for everyone. If one goes down this path, it will cause you to think about your values, and look for inspiration. Be wise about where you look for inspiration and guidance, so both you and those around you benefit from your growth.
In my next installment, I will share a little more about the specific issues that CEO’s must face when taking the plunge to become genuinely Promise-Driven. It is as much a personal journey as it is a journey for the benefit of your Organization. To those that lead organizations, you will find that the pursuit of becoming a Promise-Driven Organization may change you at least as much as it changes your business…
