Richard A. Moran* says sweeping mission statements are fine for global organisations, but on a personal level it’s best to start small.
Most organisations have something that can be called a vision and or a mission.
You know, that poster that proclaims: “Our mission is to provide global best-in-class customer service and create the world’s best products.”
Or something like that.
Most often, those posters are ignored. There are exceptions. Some of my favourites are here.
Tesla: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.
Nordstrom: To serve our customers better, to always be relevant in their lives, and to form lifelong relationships.
IKEA: To create a better everyday life for many people.
Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
Disney: To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.
Southwest Airlines: To become the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.
Coca-Cola: Refresh the World. Make a Difference.
It seems that notion has filtered down and personal mission statements are popping up.
In all the clutter of our lives today, a personal mission can create focus. The internet even has personal mission statement generators.
The mind spins with the possibilities about world peace and intergalactic creativity while saving the environment with justice for all.
I am all for personal mission statements. Each of us should have a credo that helps us make decisions and plan.
Our mission should be something we can strive for and maybe even attain.
However, before we get too ambitious, I think most of us could start out with a statement like the following:
‘My mission is to show up, do the best I can, listen to other perspectives and be nice to everyone.’
Once that mission is achieved, you can go on to world peace.
*Richard A. Moran is the Managing Partner at Blue Book Ventures and a San Francisco-based business leader, workplace pundit, bestselling author, consultant and venture capitalist. He can be contacted at richardmoran.com.
This article first appeared on Richard’s blogsite.
