Aligning Your Mission & Values

I have CEO consulting clients all over the world, and they tend to come to me when they start working to scale, and stuff starts to break—which is always accompanied by big success. Every single time we go back to their mission and values to create a compass for adjusting to scale.?

Every time.?

You don't need to be a CEO or run a major organization to benefit from the clarity that comes from being clear about your values and mission. This can be a game-changer for any individual career as well.?

During my first year working for Jeff Bezos at Amazon, back in 2002, Jeff tasked a few of his SVPs with creating Amazon's Leadership Principles. They spent months drafting and honing them until they were just right.?

This process can feel intimidating, so let me give you a simple kickstarter. Start with defining your mission and values.

1- Mission: Craft a single statement that identifies who you want to serve as well as what and how you will deliver it. Be as specific as possible.

2- Values: Create a list of 5 to 8 clearly defined values that can be used as a scorecard for decision-making and a hierarchy of priorities.

Now we need to assess alignment in your work and life accordingly. Start with these three questions:?

For individual values:

1- Do the people around you (in your teammates, mentors, friends, and social media influencers) exemplify these ideals and keep you accountable to them in a supportive way?

2- Does the way you spend your time, money, and influence reflect these values???

3- Are your goals pushing you meaningfully forward to what matters to you most? Or are you playing it "safe" and missing your full potential out of fear?

For team/company leaders:

1- Do your hiring questions accurately assess value and passion alignment??

2- Are your incentive and promotion processes using these values to grow the leadership team you will need in the future??

3- Is your company mission aligned with your growth strategy??

The answers will illuminate areas where you need to make improvements and adjustments as well and let you celebrate areas that are going well. This will start you along the path of honestly assessing your life, time, influence, and resources allocation to ensure you are living according to what you value most. This is your living legacy!

It's worth putting in a lot of time to be sure yours are right. This takes time, purpose, and repetition, but the rewards are unparalleled.?

If you want more tips on how you can grow and scale your career to fulfill your dreams, pick up my book "Bet On Yourself!"?

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