Have a mission or on mission?

I frequently work with organizations to take their next step in improving in various ways.? One of those key areas is their workplace culture.? I can’t tell you how often I have asked senior leaders to describe their desired culture, and they refer to their organization’s mission statement.? This statement is frequently displayed in a very nice frame on the boardroom wall and oftentimes presented on their website.

However, I have seen far too often that it stops there.? The mission statement that was intended to be a guiding light to the organization and drive direction and culture, is often too wordy, too general, and too theoretical.? When I ask employees about the mission, they have no clue.? That crafty statement doesn’t leave the boardroom wall and has nothing to do with direction and culture.

To understand the true mission or culture of an organization, one only needs to observe.? Simply observe employee interaction, meeting agendas, supervisory intervention (or lack thereof), and how the organization responds when plans fall apart.? The mission of the organization should drive the resulting culture. Mission and culture are reflected in what happens, not what we talk about.? It’s no wonder that many organizations suffer from an identity crisis, and they don’t even know it.

The same holds true for individuals.? How many of us talk about the direction we want to seek.? We talk about the person we want to be.? We may even talk about the mission we want to pursue.? We may spend hours thinking about it, but we don’t take any action.? If someone were to observe our life, they would have no idea that we desire those things.?

Our actions tell the real story.? Whether we are talking about an organization or an individual, what one does reflects the true beliefs, values, convictions, and identity.? Actions tell the real story!? Our actions reflect our true character.?

In the last few years, I have encouraged organizations and individuals to pursue purpose and move away from the old mission statements of the 1980's. There is nothing wrong with "mission", but the wordy statements on those walls have just given us the wrong impression of what we should be seeking.

An effective purpose or mission statement needs to reside in the hearts and minds of the people. When we connect with individuals and connect them to the organizational purpose, something powerful happens. We build an authentic team around that purpose. We move our people from a renter mentality to an ownership culture (reference People are the Plan). Connection is the key!

The process to create that purpose statement needs to simply fill in the blanks:

To ________________ so that _______________________.

The "to" clarifies the action to take or goal to achieve. The "so that" is the resulting impact that will take place. That impact is the motivation for the action. It's just that simple. Consider who you want to impact, what you are capable of doing, and refine the statement to a simple sentence that tells a great story!

You then build your entire organization around that purpose. For individuals, you build your life around that purpose. It's a filter for where you invest your time, talent, and treasure (money). It's a lens through how you establish your organization chart. Your purpose overrides historical business practices. Your purpose drives innovative thinking and creative approaches to pursuing that purpose and success within that pursuit.

In reality, that purpose drives action! The organizational focus around purpose and those resulting actions will direct the culture that you desire in your workplace and the identity of the organization. People taking action together to pursue a common goal (purpose) is the key for any organizational success.

Organizations spend so much money and time on strategy (and I value a solid strategy), but forget about execution! The key to execution is always found in the intersection of strategy and people! Culture matters! The key to a healthy culture starts with a clear purpose that leads people to connect!

The same concept is true for individual focus. You are known by your values and actions! That purpose shapes your identity and drives actions.

It’s one thing to talk about our mission, our desired identity, or our culture, but it’s quite something else to live it out! Until we put those words on the wall into action, we are just filling the room with meaningless statements.

Do you have a mission or are you on mission??

It’s a question worthy of an answer!