Everywhere you look in the business world you hear about the importance of Vision, Mission, and Values in business. I am one of the converted. I fully believe in the energizing power of having a properly defined reason for doing business and a written plan for how to deliver with integrity.
I'm also a major student of self improvement and business. I have read countless books, listened to unbelievable numbers of CDs, attended numerous courses and seminars, and have been fortunate to learn first hand from people that are successful in both their personal and professional lives. I have had years to apply the lessons to my own businesses and to help my clients grow and sustain their businesses as well.
In June I was fortunate enough to attend a fabulous seminar with Anurag Gupta (the coach that worked with Chip Wilson to build Lululemon and still regularly coaches the company to even greater success.) One of the things that really got me was the new and completely different way of viewing the Mission of a company.
The traditional way of creating a Mission is:
A precise description of what an organization does. It should describe the business the organization is in. It is a definition of "why" the organization exists currently. Mission is the map to help you get to your destination.
The Anurag way of creating a Mission is:
A feeling you create in your customers. It has nothing to do with your product or service.It has nothing to do with you, your company, or what you get. The Mission does notneed to be public, only internal, and does not need to make sense to anyone outside of your organization. It needs to be short, memorable, and it has to make you smile and feel warm and fuzzy/motivated inside when you say it.
When you look at your business from the point of view of what you want your clients and customers to feel after they have dealt with you it opens up a whole new world to you. You are no longer tied to a particular product, service, or way of doing things. Nokia originally was a company that sold lumber products. Who would have thought many years ago that they would turn into a telecommunications company that is currently the number one manufacturer of cameras?
Take a look at what you want to create. What impact you want to have on the people you touch and the world in general, and then put pen to paper. Brainstorm with your team to figure out what exactly it is that fires you up and see what it does to your life and your business.
"A man with money is no match against a man on a mission."
Doyle Brunson
