Ah, January! Such an optimistic time of the year. Year 2012 stretches out in front of us with a backdrop of blue sky and fluffy white clouds. The path toward the horizon is gently winding. Unicorns trot out of the forest into a clearing as bluebirds swoop through the sky. Customers line up at our doors, cheerfully clamoring for more…! Wake up, Laura! Get a grip! Geez!
Well, you can’t blame me for dreaming. The start of a new year is the opportunity to clean the slate, to do things differently, to make our businesses into better versions of themselves, right?
So I’ve been working on that. Maybe you have, too. But along with the specific, measurable, time-sensitive goal-setting that we business owners do, I wanted to stretch beyond that. I wanted to think beyond numbers, tasks, and measurement to look at—oh, no, hear it comes–the mission statement.
Mission statements set the tone for the direction of the brand, so it makes sense to check in on it from time to time. As I revisit my own, maybe my questions will help you re-define yours as well. Here goes.
How will you change the world?
How does your organization make life better for others?
Businesses exist because they make life better for people. You may think they exist just to make money, but nobody else really cares about that. Yes, owners, execs, and stockholders care about making money. But that won’t happen unless the business changes the customer’s world somehow, solves a problem, clears up a zit.
What human beings have the problems you can solve?
Does your mission statement identify them? If you clear zits, does it make sense to aim your mission statement (and thus your marketing) toward all human beings, or just the ones most likely to have zits?
Have your practices and day-to-day activities evolved beyond your mission statement?
Organizations change. The environment around them changes. Someone stumbles–or purposefully steps–into new territory just beyond the clearing, and before you know it, there’s a whole new aspect to your business. Or a whole new business. Zit-clearing leads you to prom limo rentals. Or skin consulting. How will your mission statement remain sturdy and robust in the face of inevitable change? Or has the company lost its way? Would it be better to re-focus on the original mission? You know, return to your roots? Do the roots even exist anymore?
Does your mission statement inspire, or produce yawns?
I want to be inspired by your mission statement. Heck, I want to be inspired by my own mission statement. Changing the world and solving problems are not for the faint of heart, even if you’re working on one tiny corner of the world. If you clear zits and help teenagers experience their proms with joyful confidence, say so! Be bold. Be brave. Put yourself out there.
Okay, now I’m pumped up. Mission statement, here I come! I’ll let you know how it turns out.
