It’s Easier If You Know Where You Are Going.
Your job as a manager is to lead your organization. In order to lead effectively, the first thing you have to know is the objective (or goal or mission or target).Imagine yourself in command of a platoon of soldiers when you receive a message from the general. The message says “go capture the hill”. Your first reaction would be to ask “Which hill?” Your chances of succeeding in your mission to “capture the hill” are much greater if you know your goal. That is true in business as well.
The Mission Statement
Many companies have created mission statements for their companies. These are, by design, high level, strategic visions of what the company is or should be. You need to find out if your company has one and, if so, what it is. You need to find out what it means. You need to find out how your part of the organization is supposed to help accomplish that mission.Any organization can have a mission statement. The examples below are indicative of the variety. These links to their Mission Statements may help you in crafting yours.
- The World Bank and The Ford Foundation are large well known organizations.
- Clemson University is a famous educational institution
- The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners is a professional association.
- The Occupational Safety & Health Administration(OSHA) is an agency of the US federal government
What About Us?
Now that you know and understand your company’s Mission Statement you may want to craft one for your organization. I recommend this be an iterative, inclusive process. Here is a quick "how to" Write a Mission Statement.- Does your company have a mission statement? What did you have to do to find it? Is it appropriate? Is it do-able? Most importantly, do you believe in it? Share your thoughts with your peers. Post your thoughts on what makes a mission statement valuable on our Management Forum or respond to what others post.
Tying It All Together.
Mission Statements are a valuable part of your company’s planning. However, they are strategic level thinking and, to be fully effective, need to be broken down to specific actions for components of the organization. From your strategic plan develop your mission statement and your goals. Specify the desired outcomes from these goals and how these outcomes will be measured.Next Article
Now that you know what the mission is, you need to know how to get there, and whether or not you can.If you have any questions or comments about this article, or if there is an issue you would like us to address, please post them on our Management Forum to share with the entire group.
