We
are constantly surprised at the number of times we come across people in
leadership roles that don’t connect what they are doing with the organization’s
vision – its purpose for existing – and its mission – how the organization will go about
achieving its vision.
“Defining the purpose and the mission
of the business is difficult, painful and risky. But it alone enables a
business to set objectives, to develop strategies, to concentrate its
resources, and to go to work. It alone enables a business to be managed
for performance.”
This
statement alone is a compelling enough reason for organizations to invest the
time and effort into defining their core purpose and direction, and – equally
important – ensuring understanding and “buy-in” throughout the organization so
all efforts are tuned towards the same outcomes.
Examples
abound typifying the success attached to definitive vision and mission
statements, with some of most powerful being the most simple. For example, a Danish based
organization[2]
that manufactures and markets children’s playground equipment was founded by two
friends in1970 based on a shared vision and mission of “Improving children’s
lives through play by creating happy children and satisfied customers”. Yes – that’s it. All of it.
The
perfection of this statement is that it clearly states the purpose of the
organization (to improve children’s lives through play) and how it will achieve
its purpose (by creating happy children and satisfied customers) without the
extraneous bits that might create confusion, possibly handcuff innovation or make
it irrelevant as the world changes at an increasingly rapid rate. And perhaps most important, because
people “get it”, they can use it.
For example, students working summer jobs are able to solve problems on
the factory floor and in the field by using the vision-mission statement as a
filter to test their decisions before moving forward – decisions that if
incorrect can put a child at risk.
Has
it been effective? Judge for
yourself. Forty-two years later, the company is the largest provider of
playground equipment in the world, with distribution in more than 50 countries
worldwide.
Of
course this success is not all due to a powerful and succinct vision and
mission – there are countless other factors that shape the success of any
organization. However, what the
vision and mission ultimately provides is the core foundation of an
organization by defining its purpose and direction. And without a stable
foundation to build on, you can only go so high before things start to get…wobbly.
