All the fancy marketing tools, all the great products, all the great service, must flow from having the foundations in place. Decision-making, strategic direction, marketing strategy, branding, day-to-day operational decisions, become easier once you have the foundations right. And that goes for whether you have a large team, a large organisation, or even as a small firm or business.
Many people tell me that they want to set out a Mission, but haven’t yet done it. Yet, those who have done it tell me how it has filled them with
• Positive energy… real physical energy
• Focus
• A real sense of Identity… particularly important for teams
• Commitment, and a desire to succeed
• Motivation, a renewed zest for life and business, a passion for success, and genuine optimism
• Belief. It makes the dream seem possible!
• and you’ll immediately feel more successful.
In fact, the great thing is that once done, all the luck starts to go in your favour, all the coincidences start to work for you.
It all starts with having clear Values and a clear Mission.
Not just a single Mission or a goal, more a Philosophy of how you do business.
There’s been more written about Mission Statements than most other business tools, and in a way that’s a big shame, because there is a tendency to switch off when the term is used.
Remember, your Mission Statement is:
• Part of your marketing. It sets you apart. Don’t hide it. Tell people what you stand for.
• Part of your recruitment: an aid to getting the right people… and keeping them.
• It helps pick you up when you need to fall back on your foundations.
• It helps you make tough decisions… fall back on your values and mission and these tough calls are easier to make.
• It helps you discriminate between true opportunities and empty promises.
It is the core of your Reason… your Cause.
Most people seem to be put off setting a Massive Mission because they can’t see that it’s chunk-down-able. And some people set Missions which are too small because they are only working on a small chunk. They start chunking things down before the big Mission is set.
The point? Start massive. Don’t ask how it will be broken into chunks, or what each chunk might look like. Just know that it will be broken down later. And don’t let that get in the way of the Massive Mission.