The life of your business

During World War II if an unidentified person appeared to a soldier and could not state his mission, he could have been automatically shot without question. Knowing your mission at that time was a matter of life or death. So what is the mission of your business?

Understanding your mission forces you to reexamine what you are doing now, and what you should be doing in the future. For an individual, company, or government to really know their mission and live it would save a lot of money, time, tears, and heartache. For a company, the passion created from pursuing a worthwhile purpose could boost morale, productivity, profit, and the pleasure people derive from being in business.

A mission statement states the purpose and scope of operations for an organization, and it reflects its values and priorities. A good mission statement allows an organization to make decisions in line with its mission, and build unity throughout the organization by integrating short-term objectives with long-term goals.

To be effective, your mission statement should come from within the organization by allowing everyone to participate in a meaningful way. Stephen Covey tells about his stay at a hotel and the incredible service he received. He wanted to find out how the hotel had created a culture where people bought so deeply into the value of customer service, and the manager said it was due to their mission statement. Covey had seen many impressive mission statements, yet this hotel was actually living their statement. The difference was that each department had created their own specialized mission statements based on the mission statement of that hotel.

In order for everyone to be committed to the mission, everyone should be involved with its creation. Without involvement, Covey believes there is no commitment. A good mission should start with a customer focus, and state how your organization will add value to their lives. Here are some more guidelines to consider as you develop or examine your mission statement:

Define what problems you will solve for the customer. For example: “We allow our customers to improve their______.” Do not begin with a general statement such as: “We are the world’s best provider of ______.”

A good statement is broad enough so that it allows you to be flexible when better opportunities arise, yet narrow enough to keep the organization focused on the real purpose. This focus allows the best allocation of resources by using them wisely, and not expending them on activities that do not fit with the mission.

You can gauge the uniqueness of your mission by asking if it is one that your competitors could easily state also. Your statement should provide a unique strategic position that is difficult to duplicate.

Your mission statement should be inspiring. It should make employees proud to be associated with the company and customers delighted to do business with you.

An example of an inspiring mission that is unique, broad yet focused on the customer can be found in Harley-Davidson’s: “We fulfill dreams through the experiences of motorcycling—by providing to motorcyclists and the general public an expanding line of motorcycles, branded products and services in selected market segments.”

In one sentence you know what Harley-Davidson does for their customers and how they plan to do it. They continue on by detailing how they will inspire, experience, and share “the dream.” To share the flavor and richness of their mission, here is how they help their customers experience the dream: “The dreams of each of our enthusiasts are unique, and at Harley-Davidson it is our mission to fulfill every one of them in a memorable way. We are skilled at providing our customers with a continuous stream of new ways to experience the Harley-Davidson mystique. While motorcycles are most often the way we fulfill dreams, the Company offers a broad range of ways to be captivated by Harley-Davidson.”

An organization’s mission is no more than effectively mapping a course of action, understanding the needs of the company’s customers and other stakeholders, and aligning current processes to support the organization’s competitive position. Simply stated, your mission should reflect who you are, what you do, to whom you offer products and services, and how you will offer those products and services better than anyone else.

Chances are you will not have someone point a gun at you and ask you to state your business mission. However, you should consider it a priority to develop and live by a mission that provides meaning for you, your employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

(Rik is a business instructor at NMC and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)