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What's the point? How will we measure success? This month we'll look at
"the mission," the completion of such defining the end of any goal
achievement process.
Clarity of
Purpose - Do You Really Have It?
Just what is your mission?
Does
your organization even have a mission statement? A solid,
well understood mission is the foundation that services the
entire strategic planning and implementation process.
If you want everyone to be "tugging on the same end of
the rope at the same time," they need to understand the
point of all the activities they engage in.
Here's an easy
quiz to see if you need a mission re-stated:
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Does everyone
know it?
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Can they
relate what they are doing to it right now?
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Do they know
when the
"mission is accomplished?"
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Is the
language concise and clear enough for easy memory?
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Does it
provide meaning to their daily tasks and activities?
If people have
to start digging for cube decorations or PowerPoint slide print
outs to answer these questions, ... odds are you need to revisit
the mission.
_____________________________________________
Mission
or
Purpose?
One
other trend is defining a purpose statment behind a mission statement.
Your mission might be to take Hill 47 for Queen and Country, but
your purpose may be to win the war, not just a battle.
One
way to think about it is that the purpose is the "why"
behind any mission. Clarification or amplification never hurts
when it comes to motivation. Your purpose statement is the answer
to "What's the point?"
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What's Inside:
Clarity of Purpose
Good Mission Statements
Buy
Today!
Strategic
Planning Made Easy: A Practical Guide to Growth & Profitability
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Links to other resources:
Stephen Covey has produced a personal
mission statement builder online tool for the realease
of his latest book, The 8th Habit. After joining his site,
you can make use of this free resource if you're having trouble
getting your own mission statement completed.
Nightingale
Conant, also hosts articles and an online mission statement
building tool.
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The Key to Good Mission and
Purpose Statements:
Key Components:
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Short
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Active
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Universal vocabulary
Take a
look at these two statements. Which one is the most
clearly understood by you?
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ONE Way of
Saying It.... "We
will engage in offensive amphibious operations,
engaging enemy fortifications with audacity and
lethal action in order to secure the beach head and
allow unit advance towards the interior regions to
secure viable supply lines for future offensives." |
.... And
Another Way of Saying It.
"We will attack, take and
hold the beach, and kill anything that gets in
the way of our advance." |
Don't be afraid to re-write your mission,
even if you took a two-day seminar to get the first one produced.
Boil it down. See you next month!
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