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Purpose

Would you leave on a weeklong trip without knowing where you were going?

Would you board a plane with no idea of where the plane was heading? Would you get in a motor boat that had no rudder? Most people would respond with resounding noís to these questions yet so many people are running their business or living their lives in a similar fashion. When we get on the plane we already know where we are heading. This is what Stephen Covey calls "Beginning with the end in mind". All things are created twice: first mentally and then physically, in other words, what we focus on is what we create. Creating a mission statement is your opportunity to be the architect of your life and create the organization that you want.

There are three essentials in life that all people need: Something to love, something to learn, and something to look forward to. The mission of the organization is the foundation for people being a part of something bigger than they are.

Having a mission serves many purposes. Most importantly, it acts as your compass to keep you on course or to get you back on course if you veer off a bit. Just as an airplane must constantly realign their heading on it's long distance journey, your organization must do so as well. A mission statement also keeps you and your team emotionally involved with what you do. People want to be a part of something bigger than themselves. There are three essentials in life that all people need: Something to love, something to learn, and something to look forward to. The mission of the organization is the foundation for people being a part of something bigger than they are. This will allow them to meet at least one, if not all three, of these essential needs. Your mission statement declares who you are, what you do and the quality in which you do it. It is inspirational, motivational and directional.

Be careful not to confuse your Mission with Goals. Goals are short term, a Mission is long term, it is your company's creed, it's noble. I like to say that goals are the stepping stones to get you to your mission. Goals are very important they are a part of the "How". The mission statement, however, allows your team members to know what the purpose of the organization is. If they donít know what the organization is about how can they be a part of it, and know where they fit in?

The greatest asset of any company is the hearts and minds of its people. When you can get your team members to be more than just employees, to be more than people that exchange their manual labor for a paycheck that is when you know that they are a part of the Mission of the company. When an organization can feed people on an emotional level then they will work with their hearts. They become dedicated team members, not just employees working for a check. Since the majority of our waking hours are spent on the job we want to get our team members to enjoy what they are doing, to buy in to the deeper purpose. In the words of Clarence Francis,

You can buy people's time; you can buy their physical presence at a given place; you can even buy a measured number of muscular motions per hour. But you cannot buy enthusiasm... you cannot buy loyalty... you cannot buy the devotion of their hearts. This you must earn.

One of the first steps to earning this is to have a company that is driven by a deeper purpose that is defined by the Mission Statement.

Now that we know the power and necessity of a Mission statement, how do we create one? This is not a process that is done in 20 minutes; however, I can give you some easy steps to get your creative energy moving in the right direction. This is your life and you deserve to spend more than 20 minutes creating the best possible scenario. The simplest way to begin the process is by answering a series of questions. Go somewhere that you will not be disturbed, find a space where you can put on some relaxing instrumental music in the back ground and a place where you can think clearly with no interruptions. Take 5 minutes on each question and put down as many answers to each question.

What are your values?

In other words what values do you want to be the underlying way you do business? What’s important to you? Integrity, compassion, teamwork, passion, enthusiasm.... List all the values that are important to you. Make sure you go for the entire 5 minutes. If you get stuck continue to think of even more, push yourself. This is your life; youíre worth it.

What are your roles?

List all the different roles your company plays to itís internal and external clients? Coach, Trainer, Assistant buyer, Dream builder.... Again push yourself and go for the entire five minutes.

Why do you do what you do?

I am not talking about profit, or selling a product or service. You have to get in touch with a deeper reason. Xerox does not make office equipment; they help improve office productivity. At Empower U, we do not train individuals to be more effective, we assist them in re-igniting the passion that drives and improves the quality of their relationships, both personal and professional. So get emotionally involved with yourself and dig deep.

At Empower U, we do not train individuals to be more effective, we assist them in re-igniting the passion that drives and improves the quality of their relationships, both personal and professional.

After you have answered all three of these questions, go through each list and circle the top three in each category. These are the three that you best describe how you feel. With what you have left on your sheet of paper, you have the excellent makings of a Powerful Mission Statement. Now take those nine items and transfer them to a clean sheet of paper. Formulate those nine items into a 2-3-sentence statement that flows from your heart. It states who you are, what you do and the quality in which you do it.

If you are the leader of a team, you need to get your teams involvement with writing your mission statement. Remember without involvement there is no commitment. So you should consider getting your team involved in the drafting of the organizational Mission Statement. You still need to have your own personal mission statement in relation to what you do, however if it is the company mission statement you and your clients will be well served if your team has an input in the process.

n closing, there is a simple three question test to see if your mission statement is the right one. Ask yourself these three questions: Does it describe the best possible you? Does it list the principles that you want you and your organization to live by? And Does it inspire you!? When you answer these questions honestly you will know how well you have done. Remember you can always do better. In the immortal words of Oliver Wendell Homes,

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

I remain...

Enthusiastically yours,

Scott V. Black
The Empower U Leadership Team
October 1998

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