The first post in this series of posts was an introduction to Gestalt Business Solutions and a high-level approach to how we help business owners: identify, protect, and maximize the value of their businesses. The second post explored some basics of business value and the foundation for value creation. And, in the third post we discussed the starting place for becoming best-in-class: vision and beginning to free the owner to work on what’s next (vision) and key relationships. Continuing to follow our Strategic Planning Checklist, we start to drill down from who you are into taking steps to where you are going: Mission and Annual Priorities.
Corporate mission statements are often the most eloquently written, but ineffectively utilized employee engagement and marketing tools deployed by businesses today. Many mission statements use nice words to depict lofty aspirations that aren’t able to be accomplished. If they are, they are so lofty that would be difficult to recognize when they’ve been completed. Missions with no finish line have the draw of running a race with no finish line. Think about it. Ethan Hunt accepting a mission that doesn’t have a clear line between success and failure wouldn’t be an exciting, action-packed story. Jack Bauer has 24 hours to save the world from a very specific threat for a reason. It’s a great story that we want to be part of. While having an unspecified amount of time to generally stop a general threat to the world is noble, it isn’t all that inspiring or exciting. Jack Bauer, James Bond, Jason Bourne, and Ethan Hunt being on missions that race against a deadline to make a very specific, often world-changing impact, puts us on the edge of our seats. Why? Because we become invested in crossing the finish line with them and accomplishing something bigger than ourselves. We believe we can make an impact as part of the story. The current mission your business is on, should be like an action movie.
– A great mission draws everyone into it. Everyone knows they impact success and failure. It isn’t just a sales thing. It takes everyone – from the front-line to the back-of-house; from the field to the home-office; from the just-hired to the owner.
– It should be aspirational. If you were going to do it anyway, what fun is that? It should be exciting and challenging. It should even make you a little uncomfortable. Its’s OK if you don’t know how you are going to do it when you set it. The tactics of executing against the mission will have to evolve along the way.
– It should have a finish line. It should be clear if/when you accomplish it. Celebrate when you do.
– It should align with who you are and your vision.
– The finish line should be three to five years out. It could be shorter or longer, but three to five years makes it far enough to be big, but not so far that you can’t see the finish line.
Not sure what mission you should be on? Let’s talk.
You’ll know when it feels right. Recently, in a client session we started working through mission. The group was working through an idea, but just couldn’t get excited about it. We stepped away from the task and when we returned the Visionary had thought it about it overnight. The more we talked through it and looked at data, the mission became more and more clear. It was an ah-ha moment for the team, then the energy shifted from ah-ha to let’s go get it. Once the mission was clear and the team was rallied sorting through the priorities for the year had a clear target to aim at. The mission set the direction with a tangible outcome and ultimately a great set of actionable priorities for the year and actions for the quarter.
Your mission, should you choose to accept…