MISSION STATEMENT FOR WORK AND LIFE
So, you have a mission statement. There it is, framed and on the wall for the world to see. The question to ask your self. . . . is the mission statement real? Is it lived by your employees and the leadership of the company? Has it been revised or even read within the last twelve months? If you can honestly answer yes to all of these questions you do not need to read the remainder of this article. If you are hesitant about even one of the questions, however, please stay with me on this seemingly overworked subject. The information that follows will attenuate the pain of mission statement discussion with humor and real life examples.
Mission statements are like the ‘beacon on the lighthouse of reason’. When production burdens and problems rock the boat a review of the mission statement can right the ship and get the team rowing in the right direction. Critical decisions can be more easily made with the mission in mind. Ideas can be harnessed to parallel the mission. Judgment calls are more focused when aligned with the mission statement. In short, the mission statement is the single most important positioning tool a company can have. Then, why is it so difficult to create one?
- Creating a Mission Statement
Here are four easy steps to creating a corporate mission statement
- Keep it to one sentence
- Make sure it is understandable
- Make sure it can be memorized and remembered
- Make it personal
Number four in the steps is “keep it personal”. Why personal, when this is a corporate mission statement? The reason is to simplify steps two and three. When a person or groups of people who are creating a mission statement make it “theirs” that personal guardianship gives power to the purpose of the mission and is more easily understood and remembered.
Great leaders in history have had mission statements that were no more than one sentence. Examples are:
- Franklin Delanor Roosevelt - End the Depression
- Joan of Arc - Free France
- Mother Teresa - Care for the dying
- Marsha Wehrenberg - Free Kathy
Most of these are recognizable but the story of Marsha Wehrenberg’s mission statement is also genuine and a good case study. Marsha, formerly Marsha Murphy, has had years of training and experience as a senior manager in mortgage banking. Several companies where she worked had mission statements so the concept to Marsha is not a new one. When she retired from mortgaging Marsha took the mission statement concept one step further and used it as her power base for personal success. By creating personal mission statements for the various aspects of her life Marsha excelled at such things as choir, nutrition, meditation and even met her goal of running a marathon in Hawaii. Mission statements became powerful tools for Marsha.
When THE SRS GROUP convinced Marsha to come out of retirement it was with great need for a successful manager to handle the temporary business in Northern California. As President of the company my corporate leadership duties had enlarged with the growth of SRS and I was desperately trying to wear too many hats and be all things to all people.
Marsha understood my need instantly and created her mission statement for her work at SRS. Her mission statement was simple and easy to remember: ”Free Kathy”. This, to her, meant that she would handle the problems, opportunities and challenges of the Northern California branch using my feedback only when necessary. This work related mission statement was in harmony with her personal mission statement. Her zeal in the Free Kathy mission statement carried over to her staff who were accustomed to calling me for every question possible, including where to find the can opener. With the Free Kathy mission statement in hand events were handled more efficiently. For example Marsha may have been heard to say, “If we can’t locate the can opener lets use the money in petty cash and buy one….but don’t bother Kathy with this type of thing….remember ‘Free Kathy’ “
Marsha’s mission statement was short enough to remember, was easily understood, and the power it gave her employees was amazing. It was exciting to see them handle tough situations with clients and career associates where formerly they would have dumped it on my desk. They learned more, surpassed their goals and felt good about themselves and their jobs.
So powerful a demonstration was not taken lightly by yours truly. I began to observe what the elements were for my own personal mission statement. You can do this too. Look at those things that are your core. What do you stand for? What are your values? Here are some things that may come to mind:
- Freedom, excellence, joy, service, honor, justice, faith, creativity
My core was, is and probably always will be two fold. The joy of creativity and the belief that there are endless possibilities in the universe – if we could just release them all. Wow, that’s long. Remember the steps in mission statement creation!
Here is how I finally stated my personal mission statement:
- Release The Potential
Once written down, I realized this applies to me personally, and is the basic concept behind the creation of SRS. Why should an out of work mortgage professional sit at home letting their awesome skills go fallow when SRS can find significant work for them to perform, thereby releasing the potential for their paycheck, their careers and their personal development!
Release the Potential works for me personally since I can apply the mission statement to my business, my writing and my everyday life. By releasing the creative visions within me I allow my full radiant work to emerge.
You can Release Your Potential too! Start with the mission statement for your life. I recommend you read The Path, Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life by Laurie Beth Jones. Follow the simple steps above and look deep within your core. If you like it, you can borrow my mission statement. The thing you need to remember is to alter it a bit when working out at the gym. Then you simply think, Release The Grease!
Client Tip ID: 7