In sharing this experience, I hope to emphasize the significance and weight some organizations place on the mission statement alone.

Before we get too far into this discussion, I think setting the background and context for this series is essential.  Throughout my career, one of my hobbies was studying organizational design.  What makes good organizations run smoothly and accomplish their tasks and missions effectively and efficiently?  I have had several opportunities to assess and create organizations from scratch.  I thought exploring the tools and processes I used to create or assess organizations might be fun.  This series focuses on organizational design and function and may interest two groups of readers.  First is the young professional interested in growing as a leader and manager.  Second, the executive who might be looking for a quick mental refresh on a subject.  Reflecting on my career, I tried to think of things I wish I had known and appreciated more deeply as a young leader and manager.  I think it would have benefited me to understand better the interconnected nature and impact of essential foundational organizational elements.  In a manner of speaking, this series could be thought of as a letter to my younger self.  I would also like to acknowledge a couple of key points.  First, although there are commonalities across all industries, there are also differences.  Second, in my opinion, the size, e.g., the number of people in the organization, and working conditions, e.g., in-person, remote, etc., make some of the points raised in this series more or less applicable, e.g., an organization with 20 employees may not find a vision statement as impactful as a 2000-employee organization.  All of that is to say that some topics discussed in this series may not be as relevant in some industries or organizations.  Although the points discussed in this series have helped me throughout my career, they may not be as relevant in all situations.  Hopefully, some of the points raised will help you too.

The US Army defines a Mission Statement as “a short description of who, what (task), when, where, and why (purpose) that indicates the action to be taken and the reason for doing so.”  Writing a mission statement is what I often refer to as an art and science project.  The science side of the project states there must be a mission statement, whereas the art side gives an organization the flexibility of how it’s done.  Although there are standard guidelines for a well-written mission statement, such as being 1) Clear, 2) Concise, 3) Specific, 4) Inspiring, 5) Realistic, and Action-oriented.  I would argue that the biggest test of a mission statement is its ability to guide and influence an organization. 

I remember being told that the true test of a mission statement and its impact on an organization boils down to one simple test: Assuming a person is well trained when left alone without the ability to call and ask for help, can they do their job supporting the organizational mission?  This question gets at the person’s ability to understand and perform their roles and responsibilities independently of guidance because they know and understand their role in supporting the organizational mission.  This example is intended to be less about the person and more about the mission statement, how it was shared, and how well everyone understood it.

I believe everyone needs a vision and to feel like they have a purpose or a mission and are working for the greater good.  I also believe that almost any organization can create a mission-focused, purpose-driven atmosphere where employees feel they are working for the greater good.  The reverse is also possible, where if an organization doesn’t effectively communicate its vision and mission to its employees, they may give themselves their own vision and mission.  We’ve all been customers and experienced both excellent and poor customer service.  I believe in at least some of the instances where I have experienced poor customer service, it was in part because the employee was executing under their own personal vision and mission of how the organization should run.

In the Army, we were taught to think two up, one down.  In the context of a mission statement, we would review the mission statements of our two higher headquarters and one level lower.  The idea is that by synchronizing four levels of mission statements (two up, our own, and one down), we should be linked and nested in such a way as to support each other’s efforts.  We would then place our mission statement in a prominent location, ensuring that everyone in the organization understands their role in supporting the organizational mission, regardless of their roles and responsibilities.  This created a culture and atmosphere where people would work together to achieve our shared mission.

“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life.  I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” – Theodore Roosevelt          

Please feel free to share your own experiences in the comment box below.

Your shared thoughts may help someone else going through a similar experience.  Thank you