You don’t have a mission statement? Believe me when I say the word NO should not be a response from any business, whether micro or large. So it’s quite astounding to hear that companies forego having values, including a mission and vision statement. When undertaking a strategic plan, it’s imperative to have a clear indication of how you see the company in its present and future state.
In the last article, I discussed the importance of setting goals, because without a clear goal in mind it’s difficult to set the path and a pace towards achievement. Whether you plan on increasing revenue, expanding your footprint or reinventing your brand, a quintessential strategy will not have a solid foundation without a mission, vision and value statement. So what exactly does one do to develop a mission? After all you don’t want to just slap a few words together and make it look glamorous for your front desk. This process in fact can be a long, debatable and tedious task and ideally should not be done alone. It requires thought provoking experiences, in depth market research in terms of stakeholder opinions, tapping into the organisation’s processes, culture, history and future. Your company’s measurable objectives and tactics will be driven and geared around its mission and vision, so it is essential that the groundwork is done.
It’s important that a committee with various stakeholders is formed; this will help set the tone of the statements and have a collective agreement on the direction moving forward. Strong opinionated, and at times, highly sentimental individuals may resist change, particularly if a company is in the process of redefining its statements. However, change is inevitable and as market dynamics continue to evolve, so should companies, if this means altering the statement of purpose then so be it. However, one cannot believe in the change if the need is not communicated, and a collective approach taken. Buy in is crucial to success, so be sure to involve key strategic positions as well as people on the ground who are usually the ones who maintain close contact with clients and suppliers. So in other words, this is a decision that needs input from the entire hierarchy and cannot just be made at a CEO or senior management level.
Even though it can take companies months to establish the right purpose, this is not a mission impossible. Make sure that it is descriptive of its current state, purpose, what the organisation does and how, as well as who, it does it for, and then it will eventually come into place.
It is equally important that the mission be communicated to all internal and external stakeholders, all points of contacts should display what the company stands for, and all actions and reactions should reflect the overall mission.
Truthful, reflective, short and to the point! If there’s anything you can take away from this article, it should be this. Who honestly remembers long and sometimes illusive statements? “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Is this currently happening for Google? It certainly is, so make sure that your mission is acted on daily!
So what does the future entail? Well this is what your vision will enlighten us on. Not only that, it will be the point of inspiration, task focused and provides guidance for the medium to long term plan.
I particularly like this statement, by the Alzheimer’s Association: "Our Vision is a world without Alzheimer's disease." It is straight to the point, clear, has a long term focus and within it displays immense determination portraying an organisation that is strong willed and purposefully driven.
All employees of the organisation should be well informed on the vision, and really this should not be a mission to recall. Using the ‘keep it simple’ approach to the vision is a must. Ensure that you have a workshop to educate and orientate new team members, instil the importance of living and breathing the vision, and importantly believing it.
What is a company without values? There is no point in having a mission and vision without distinct value creation that is reflective of the company culture. A belief and principle system consisting of a wide spectrum of elements considered important to the company is fundamental in understanding not only the purpose but the impact the company is making towards its internal and external stakeholders and the community at large. Common key words in core values are accountability, responsibility, balance, integrity, community, diversity, innovation and empowerment. The list is endless; it entirely depends on who you are, what you believe in and the image you are trying to portray.
Defining your values and statements should never be an overnight process. Don’t get me wrong there are probably some brilliant visions that spurred through an ‘eureka’ moment; however this does require work as it sets the pace for your strategy going forward. Do consult with strategists that can facilitate and drive the process, ensuring that you create a lasting impression, and attract the right words that will not indicate who you are as an organisation, but who you will evolve to become.