“It is our mission to credibly facilitate future initiatives so that we may endeavor 100% customer satisfaction”
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Select Your Own Mission Statement Components
(Mission Statement = Opener + Adverb + Verb + Adjective + Noun + Conjunctive + Closer)
In every business-planning book, professors talk about setting mission and vision. But there is also many criticism about how many companies set a nice group of Mission statements, Vision, corporate values, hang in a nice frame by the wall and never use it. So, is it worth the time and effort to put these statements in place?
Some years ago, while working for an amazing consultancy, I got in touch with this article from Collins/Porras? “Building your Company Vision” (http://hbr.org/1996/09/building-your-companys-vision/ar/1). They state that you have to state what your true (core) values are, as well as big, hairy, audacious goals to keep the employees motivated.
On the other hand, got in touch with another publication (from Bob Fifer, Double your profits in 6 months or less). He stated a different view, that the mission statement of a company should be only one, a simple word: TO BE THE BEST! You have to tell everyone that THE GOAL IS TO BE THE BEST AND WE WILL NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING LESS. Why?
- Because it’s simple (simple is beautiful!)
- Because it is about being the best salesman, the best cost-cutter and the culture that we want
- Because nothing motivates more employees than striving to be the best
- Because everyone knows what to do and what is expected from them
- Because being the best leads to better bottom line results
When I was finishing my MBA and decided to go back to HR. An amazing HR leader that made me an offer, I asked “Why working with you?”. She said “Because I want to have the best HR in the market and need people who want to build that with me“. (…) (I was speechless. Didn’t have any option besides accepting the challenge!)
(keep thinking, what if the same leader told me that “We want someone to help us facilitate future initiatives so that we may endeavor 100% customer satisfaction”? Would I have accepted?)
What I liked about Fifer’s proposal is that is simple and speaks right at our achievement sense (it is all about results and passion – a powerful call to action). But is it too simplist?
For a High Impact HR!
Alex
