Most leaders have long been aware that they benefit from having a clear vision and mission even though they may have done little to act on this knowledge in practice. In simple terms, the “vision” is where you want to be in 3, 5 or even 10 years time, and the “mission” is the main focus or purpose for your existence. While a “vision” has a time horizon and should therefore change every few years, a “mission” by definition prevails through time. Unfortunately, a mission is usually crafted once and then often ignored. In other words, the mission is deemed not to matter anymore. In this brief blog we will argue that this attitude leads to a number of missed opportunities.
As bland as they can often be, a mission statement should describe what you are trying to do or your fundamental purpose. If this is well crafted it is not only a strong driver of positive outcomes but can also be even more powerful in introducing new people to what you are doing. The Gallup research company has identified five factors behind the benefits of crafting an effective mission and then focusing on it or making it a centrepiece of how you lead:
- A well-crafted mission drives loyalty and synergy across the generations. Understanding the purpose helps people answer yes to the question “Do I belong here?” Gallup’s research shows that ensuring people have opportunities to do what they do best every day and emphasizing mission and purpose are the two strongest factors for retaining a wide range of generations.
- Mission helps to drive engagement and make people more “sticky”. A strong mission promotes identification, passion, and engagement. Unfortunately, according to Gallup, only about four in 10 people (41%) know what their organisation stands for and what makes it different from others. This lack of awareness is a mission-driven leadership problem.
- Mission improves strategic alignment. Alignment begins with a clear purpose, or why we do what we do. Mission can help leaders establish and balance priorities and set goals. If an organisation’s mission includes a promise to provide the highest possible quality, for example, then you should define and measure “highest possible quality” and ensure you recruit people who believe in creating a quality outcome and can deliver on that promise.
- Mission brings clarity. Awareness of mission guides decision-making and judgment. A clear sense of what matters most helps leaders determine the best path for the organisation and helps them set priorities. This clarity inspires conviction and dedication.
- Mission can be measured. To maximise the value of the mission, leaders need a reliable assessment of volunteer’ attitudes about their ministry and how it connects with the organisation’s purpose. Leaders should use this information to guide them as they tackle the challenge of helping volunteers connect their ministry behaviours to the organisation’s ultimate purpose.
In summary, then a mission or purpose statement is a potentially huge compelling step when done well and serves as a standard against which people can be assessed in terms of their skills, knowledge, and talent to deliver on the mission promise.
Related Resources
No ministry will succeed unless it understands why it has been formed and where it is going. In the Forming Stage of this Skill Builder we cover developing the mission and vision statements.
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