For many, writing an Organizational Mission statement is a real waste of time and is justified only in case of strict need. It is not strange, then, that in order to satisfy it, they borrow some text that could be applied in the same way, without appreciable changes, to a law firm, a soccer field or a funeral parlor. Of course, this does not work as the manuals say and the failure continues to give reason to those who think so, as another devastating example of self-fulfilling prophecy.
However, this strategic element of management has the ability to concentrate the team's energy with forceful force, the result of the magical influence that words repeated over and over again exert on our subconscious. In which sense that force will be channeled and what will be the level of its concentration, will depend on what are the words used and the Values that give them life. Therefore, it is worth going a little deeper into these two ideas.
Values are ethical principles to which each one decides to subject their actions and which, therefore, are subjective. If they are firmly rooted, they are reflected in everything the individual does, including of course her commercial or professional endeavors. They constitute an amalgam capable of building solid teams with people who share them and to drive away those who perceive dissonances instead of harmonies.
The Values we express should be shared and appreciated by the market to which we are addressing. When we declare principles with which our client identifies, we present ourselves as their equals and add reasons to win their preference, as long as we are able to sustain them in practice.
Generalizations of the type "honesty", "respect", "integrity" and others of the kind should be avoided, because the abuse has turned them into hollow shells that each one fills with his own mental map.
A legitimate Value is one about which the following questions can be answered affirmatively:
Does it honestly represent us as people?
Do our employees and customers share and appreciate it?
Does our community generally share it?
Would we be willing to publicize it and defend it in public?
Would we keep it above any commercial consideration?
Only by relying on Values of this type will we be able to build a powerful Mission: a phrase that identifies the fundamental value that our organization delivers to its clients, that describes its raison d'être and that distinguishes it from other similar ones. For this, we could ask ourselves:
What part of what my company does is different from what my competitors do?
In what concrete results is this difference manifested?
How would I introduce myself to a new customer to show him that my product is different from what he knows, without having to refer to competitive products?
What specific and remarkable benefits do my clients obtain when they do business with my company?
Discovering what special we bring to our clients that no one else can, can be the difference between writing an opaque and inconsequential Mission and a powerful, motivating, challenging, leading, lasting Mission. Would our Mission change over time if work methods, resources, or technology evolved? Limiting our Mission to what we currently produce or the resources with which we do so limits our strategic opportunities.
An excellent Mission is a realistic, practical and intelligent expression of the reason why we exist. Little is achieved by exaggeration: just a condescending smile that will produce scant business and even less confidence, because it is ineffective in generating credibility. It is more positive to bet on the creative word, on the ingenious detail that highlights the renewed possibilities that our clients can access when they choose us.
A successful mission statement pushes us to invent, because it goes beyond our current limitations. Create new markets. It opens our minds and prepares you to discover better ways to serve our customers.
It helps us understand that what we do today is a small part of what can be done and it facilitates the path of leadership, which is always identified with the path of innovation.
This type of Mission is a powerful competitive weapon in our business, because it is a permanent source of inspiration for us and for our team. An excellent Mission statement is something memorable, accurate, as accessible and transparent as our service should be for our clients.
Therefore, the best Mission possible is the one that can become our slogan. Everything else is left over.
