A company without a mission is a ship without a rudder. You are at the mercy of the environment and can only hope it takes you somewhere good.
A clearly defined mission is a vital part of every successful company. How do you know you achieve success when you aren’t sure what success is? A mission can be as large as a ‘Mission Statement’ for the company overall such as ‘Providing an unequaled customer experience’ or as simple as ‘Increasing our revenue by 10% over last year in this year.’ The important part is setting them and then setting a plan to reach them.
In the first example of ‘Providing an unequaled customer experience,’ the statement will drive decisions in the company. Time will need to be spent on deciding what the normal experience is, and then figuring out ways to provide something above and beyond that. If the expected experience is that the customer picks out their color of widget, maybe the new experience is a ‘personal designer’ that helps them pick the color based on expertise and experience. It might push the experience to a new level of excitement beyond just satisfaction.
The key is the mission drives the decision to do more or different. Each decision that comes along will need to get weighed against the grander mission to be sure it aligns. This creates culture and congruency in the processes, people and procedures in the company. If focused properly, the company will embody the mission in every aspect.
In the second example of ‘Increasing revenue by 10% over last year in this year,’ the tactics are much simpler and concrete. This is a target that allows you to measure yourself. Similarly, it’s the action plan that goes with it that is more important. What (besides hope and faith) needs to happen and change in order for new results to be achieved? If it is simply hoping the market changes, you are still in the boat without a rudder.
To use another maritime analogy ‘The rising tide floats all boats.’ That is not much of a real accomplishment. Increasing our market share is what most successful groups are after. The first step is setting the goal or mission, the second is setting up the plan for success, then the third is charting progress along the way so everyone knows how we are doing.
Paraphrasing John Maxwell: Luck is simply the intersection of preparation and opportunity. Decide what you want to achieve. Figure out what accomplishment would mean to you and your team, then set the mission, lay out the plan and push for the results. People aim at nothing and hit it with amazing accuracy, so set the target. And when you get there and your mission is achieved, celebrate. Have a party and congratulate those that got you there… Then lay out the next mission. Always appreciative, never satisfied.
