Mission Statement Blues

Picture this - you're on stage ready to share with the world why your company is so great.  The lights go on, the curtain is raised and the first thing that happens is this question - What is your company's mission statement?  It seems to be an impossible request.

Sadly, most of us really have no clue what our company mission statement is.  Even more depressing, it is not the fault of the employee or manager.  It is up to the leadership of the organization to initiate a process that makes a mission statement meaningful.

I know people that make thousands of dollars helping companies develop their mission statement.  The board, management, or key people spend days developing it and walk out of the session feeling that they have accomplished something phenomenal. 

Sometimes it is simple, others take pages, but the common problem is that the mission statement does not connect with employees.  In many cases these mission statements add to the resentment that employees feel towards the organization.

I do believe that mission statements can be valuable, but you need to do your homework and you must live the mission in your organization.  Words are cheap, actions are truths.  Is your mission statement based on words or actions?  I hope you choose action.

Flickr photo by Brian Indrelunas