A company’s mission is critical to growth. A good mission makes growth easier. But formulating a good mission is difficult. Create a mission that makes a difference with these three ingredients.
The mission statement reflects the company’s reason for being. ‘Core Purpose’ in Scaling Up. The mission is a powerful aspect of the ScaleUp Plan. In fact, the mission is the most powerful aspect for growth after the core values. Even more powerful than the BHAG (the big bright dot on the horizon). Yet companies often don’t get any further than ‘making beautiful things with beautiful people’. What can you do to get more out of the mission?
Simon Sinek’s ‘why’ only works a little. The golden circles of this riding guru are world famous. His thesis: the why makes a difference (we agree) and is about ‘why we get out of our bed’. The latter is precisely where the problem lies. This is about the energy we generate as a team for what we think is important. But it’s not about what we think is important! The external effect is lacking. How do you think what’s important to the team?
Add ‘so that…’ To the Simon Sinek’s why is about mobilizing energy. If you add ‘so that’ to that, you give direction to that energy. ‘Making beautiful things with beautiful people, so that …’.. You can make the why even more specific. With Aaron Hurst’s purpose model from the book The Purpose Economy.
Each mission has three ingredients: why, who, and how.
[1] For whom: To whom does the mission apply? Three main groups: individuals, organizations, and the community or society. When you think of individuals, you can think of entrepreneurs, the elderly, students. Organizations can include profit or non-profit, governments, companies or perhaps even large companies. Make it specific without committing definitively.
[2] Why: Here, Simon Sinek’s why can help with an answer. Here, according to Hurst, there are two main groups: action (karma) and non-action (harmony). Either an active why (we do something) or a ‘being’ why (we strive for a new state). Examples of an active why are, for example: eradicating disease, the best quality, looking for the truth. A more harmony-oriented why can be: a healthy world or ultimate: world peace.
[3] How: Hurst defines four main groups on the how of the mission:
• community-driven, for example: creating a meeting place for our environment
• people-driven, for example: vital employees perform better
• structure-driven, for example: eliminating waste or encouraging reuse
• knowledge-driven, for example: innovative solution, the best quality
My personal mission (Pieter’s) is: to inspire and educate ambitious entrepreneurs to make a meaningful difference in our world. For whom? For leaders. Why? To make a world of difference. How? By inspiring and providing knowledge.
With these three ingredients, you involve the world in your mission. It makes the mission more powerful and specific. This allows you to use the mission for important decisions you make to grow and during growth. Take your time and create a mission that makes a difference. Will you be able to make a world of difference with the mission?