I have a personal mission statement: “Be Happy. Be Authentic. Be Honest. Be of service.”
I always thought mission statements were what mega companies did. Do you remember that Ford Motor Company had ‘Quality is Job 1.’ The problem is that most mission and vision statements sound like platitudes: God, apple pie, and the environment. Then when we checked out a company with a lofty mission statement, we sometimes there was a huge delta between what they said and what they did. Not good!
Why do organizations write up mission statements? Several reasons come to mind. Organizational mission statements are especially important in flattened, downsized, decentralized, and global organizations. When there are fewer middle managers and supervisors to tell us what is right and wrong or which way to go, vision and mission statements become signposts providing direction, meaning, and the foundation for surviving and prospering through major changes. They also ensure we’re speaking the same language, doing the right things right, and going in the same direction.
In much the same way, personal mission statements define who we are and what we do. Some folks believe that mission statements are character defining. This is what I do. This is what I won’t do. This is my true north.
Life Lesson Earned: What’s your true north? What do you believe in? What do you stand for? What’s your personal mission statement?1