The Power of a Mission

I often hear people poo-poo having a mission statement. Being someone who is mission-driven, I find that really hard to believe. So I want to say something here about the value both obvious and perhaps more obscure about having a mission. In particular, a personal mission. I’m not saying people cannot be successful without a mission, I’m saying that success is easier to see, measure and track when you have one. 

Vision vs Mission

A vision is the big picture. The picture of what the company or organization you work for could be. That vision can be something as simple as “A World Class Organization.” A mission lives inside of a vision and its personal. It would be more of a “My mission is…” statement. Some of you might think this is elementary however, you might be surprised by how many people get these mixed up.

Sooner rather than Later

I frequently work as a consultant or contractor. However, I believe the best employees also have a personal vision and mission. Within the first week or so, I have formulated my personal vision of the organization, business, or field I’m working in. I then take my role and determine my mission inside of that vision. I do hone it along the way. Hopefully, there is already a company vision and mission statement I can align with theirs. Having a vision or mission that doesn’t forward that of the company for which I’m working will not work for either of us.

Those Pesky Values

Values are the way in which you go about accomplishing your mission. Stated values can keep you from getting caught up in the mayhem. They keep you on course. Murky values can throw you off course in a heartbeat. For example, if you’re a pilot and your mission is to get to Milwaukee, but your values are it’s ok to have a few drinks before a flight or that you don’t need to follow the flight path or you don’t need to do all those silly preflight checks, I think you can see where getting to Milwaukee could be a tricky ride for both you and your passengers.

Projects and Project Teams

In my opinion every project and every project team should have a vision and mission. It should be created by the team, written down and kept in front of the team. I see project managers skipping this step all the time. They think the objective serves as those things and I disagree. The objective is created by the business, the team creates their vision, mission and values.

The value of having the team create both a vision and mission is it makes the path forward clear. It also simplifies decision-making. Projects can morph and change over time. How they do this must always align with the vision, forward the mission and be consistent with team values. All decisions should be weighed against these three things. And the project managers will have an easier time keeping things on course.

Personal Vision, Mission and Values

When you create your own vision, mission and values you have a tool by which to measure your course. If you go off course or start doing things or are asked to do things inconsistent with your values you can immediately course correct. That can mean terminating your job if it is seriously messing with your values. I’ve done that. Compromising your values is much harder to live with than finding new employment. 

There is never any mistaking what I’m up to at work. I have my personal vision and mission as part of my email signature. I’m sure that not everyone reads it, but curious people might. It does, however, keep me on track because it keeps it in front of me.

How do you feel about missions?