Ten
benefits of a Mission Statement
1. A mission statement causes
you to expand your perspective, and to examine your innermost thoughts
and feelings. In this process you clarify the purpose of your life and
identify what is really important to you.
2. Writing a mission statement
is much like a treasure hunt in that it helps you to uncover talents, interests,
and your deepest desires.
3. A mission statement forces you
to clarify and express succinctly your deepest values and aspirations.
4. A mission statement imprints
your values and purposes firmly in your mind so it becomes a part of you
instead of something you might have thought about just casually in passing.
5. The integration of your
personal mission statement into daily and weekly planning gives you a tangible
method of keeping your vision constantly before you.
6. A mission statement is the
beginning of personal leadership. It sets parameters and guidelines for
how you live your life.
7. Writing a mission statement
forces you to think deeply about your life. And the best way to internalize
your mission is to re-write and refer to it continuously.
8. At some point in life, everyone
longs for a sense of meaning and purpose. A mission statement helps you
to uncover talents and contributions that reveal your very reason for existence.
9. Crafting a mission statement
allows you to connect with your own unique purpose and the profound satisfaction
that comes in fulfilling it.
10. A personal mission statement
helps you to address three important questions: What is my life about?,
What do I stand for?, What actions am I taking to live what my life is
about and what I stand for?
Gary Ryan Blair is President
of The GoalsGuy. A visionary and
gifted conceptual thinker, Gary is highly regarded as a speaker, consultant,
strategic planner, and coach to leading companies throughout the globe.
Visit The GoalsGuy
Shop for all of your goal setting and life planning needs.
How
To Create A Mission Statement by: Denise O'Berry
Creating a mission statement can
help you focus your business effort and do a lot of good in bringing your
workforce together behind a common theme. The key to success is not just
creating a mission statement, it's living the mission statement.
A mission statement identifies the
major purpose that you fulfill in providing products and services to customers.
Your mission statement should:
-
Include the reason for your business
-
Identify your firm's unique 'value added'
-
Reflect your firm's core business activity
-
Provide a focus
-
Identify the purpose you fulfill
Step One -- Develop your mission statement
by identifying:
-
Stakeholder(s)
-
Products and Services
-
Unique Value Added
Stakeholders - Those people who are
directly affected by the company's successes and failures. Stakeholders
could be employees, internal customers, organizational customers, external
customers.
Products and Services - Items that
you produce for your customers. Products and services might include consulting,
training, products or services for individual use, products or services
for business use.
Value Added - The key advantage you
provide over the competition. Why would a customer come to your company
for service? What makes your company special?
Step Two -- Construct A First Draft
The [your company name] meets the
[your products and services] needs of [stakeholders] by [value added].
Step Three -- Refine the Mission
Statement
Is it too wordy? Is it brief and
to the point? Will employees remember it? Would it make sense to your stakeholders?
Is it a true mission statement and not a goal? Does it inspire your organization?
Does it describe your business focus and effort? Is it unique?
Step Four -- Make It Visible
Post the mission statement for easy
review by all employees and customers.
Step Five -- Live it! This step will
be easy if you've involved your entire group in the process.
About The Author
Small business expert Denise O'Berry
helps business owners take action to grow their business. Find out more
at http://www.deniseoberry.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
A Mission That Matters By Sheila
Murray Bethel, CPAE
We live in an era of extraordinary
change. To be a leader who makes a
difference in it you need first
to have a clear mission that matters. Your mission may be based on
a dream or vision of how you see the future. It may be small and
personal or large and world shaking. It may take a few hours a week
to accomplish or your whole life. Whatever the scale, your mission
is at the very heart of your leadership effectiveness. It will definitely
be the driving force that attracts followers.
The important thing, about missions
that make a difference, is that they usually start out as something you'd
naturally do because you want to help, change or improve something.
You don't usually wake up one morning and say " I'm going to be a leader
with a mission that matters". What often happens is your mission
grows out of your activities at home, at work or in the community. When
you start to look for ways to make a difference nothing is off limits or
out of reach. Don't feel restricted by your age, ethnicity, or social,
economic or educational status. Your commitment becomes an example that
inspires and motivates others.
You have to want to make a difference
There are three major roadblocks
to building your mission that matters:
• The first is thinking you're to
old or to young or to anything to have a Mission.
• The second, is putting off beginning,
waiting for a better time.
• The third is giving in to the temptation
to do nothing, because you think you can do so little.
Missions often have modest beginnings,
so don't hesitate to start small. As your mission grows you'll grow with
it. To become a mission-driven leader you don't have to be a statesman,
celebrity, or business giant, or have a lofty position, numerous degrees
or huge bank accounts. Your desire to make a difference is what matters,
even your smallest effort counts.
Taking the first step is often the
hardest part of any endeavor. To help you begin, look around for
inspiration and direction. When you have begun to clarify what you'd
like to make a difference about you can begin to build your mission.
Business leaders examples:
The corporate mission statements
of the world's best-run companies often reflect the personal missions of
their leaders. These missions are the driving force behind their
profits, productivity and success. Profits and missions are not mutually
exclusive In fact, successful organizations, with clear-cut clearly defined
mission statements, usually benefit both employees and customers while
adhering to a high sense of ethics and social responsibility. These
companies and organizations seem to have a spirit and staying power that
others do not.
The magic of a mission
We may not always be able to define
a leader's mission, but we recognize leaders who have missions. Their commitment
to their mission is that intangible called, charisma. We are drawn
to them and their energy. We solicit their opinions, and follow their lead.
They help us redefine our lives, our purpose and perhaps our own missions.
If you think that you lack brilliant
speaking skills or personal magnetism, don't worry. Your mission doesn't
depend on it. But it is interesting to see how some people's missions
have transformed them into charismatic leaders because of the depth and
passion of their desire to make a difference. Your enthusiasm can
make you eloquent.
The example that you set can speak
more forcefully than words.
A mission that matters is part practical
and part magical. The practical
part is the results it achieves.
The magical part is what the mission does to your mind and heart.
Leaders without missions
Can someone be leader with out having
a mission? Can you make a difference without a mission? Possibly,
but true leadership qualities are developed and sustained by having a mission.
Some leaders identify a lifetime mission. Others have different missions
at different stages of their lives. It isn't wrong not at a mission
that matters, but without one you cannot reach your full potential as a
leader. Your mission is your driving force.
Big things come from small beginnings.
The mighty oak tree comes from the tiny acorn and a tiny seed of wanting
to serve others can help you make a difference. Your mission that
matters can be a driving force that inspires others to follow. Your
example of service will be your legacy of leadership.
Sheila Murray Bethel is a best selling
author, television personality and globally acclaimed professional speaker.
Copyright© 2000, Bethel Institute. All Rights Reserved. Sheila's expertise
is Change, Leadership, and Personal Excellence. She is the author of the
best-selling book, Making A Difference: 12 Qualities That Make You a Leader,
host of the new Public Television Specials, “Making A Difference”, and
business woman. For information about Sheila’s Leadership Seminars
and Workshops, please contact the Frog Pond Group at 800-704-FROG (3764)
or email susie@frogpondgroup.com;
http://www.frogpondgroup.com
Writing
Your Personal Vision/Mission Statement by: Cecile Peterkin
I recently spent some time revising
my personal vision/mission statement for my coaching practice. While doing
this, it occurred to me that the vision I have for my work is closely related
to my personal vision. Having a job that reflects my personal vision is
powerful because it has allowed me to create a business life for myself
that truly reflects who I am.
Companies know all about vision and
mission statements and getting their employees on board. Vision and mission
statements propel the company in the direction that they want, and ultimately
towards success. Many of us have spent countless hours working on these
statements for our employers, and doing our part to contribute to their
vision as a part of the team. Much like a business, we, as human beings
have a purpose or mission in life.
What if we spent as much time getting
to know who we are and what we want for ourselves? A personal vision/mission
statement is the framework for creating a powerful life. Unlike a goal,
a vision or mission rarely changes. It is a reason for our existence. It
guides us in the decisions we make and the directions we take.
Your Personal Vision
Close your eyes and picture yourself
in the future. It may be a few months or years from today. See the person
you are; what you are doing, who you are with, what you have accomplished,
what is important to you, and how people relate to you. How does it feel
to be you? Feel the person you are, your true self. Now, open your eyes
and see your life and yourself in the present, through those eyes. You
will begin to notice the changes you need to make to honour this vision
and lead a powerful life. A Personal Vision is a picture of your True Self
in the future. An effective personal vision includes all the important
elements of your life and career; it is who you want to be, what you want
to do, how you want to feel, what you want to own, and who you want to
associate with. Although your personal vision helps you to see into the
future, it must be grounded in the present. It is a statement of who you
are, and who you are becoming. It is the framework for the process of creating
your life. Your vision is where you are headed, how you get there is your
mission statement.
Your Personal Mission Statement
A Personal Mission Statement is how
you will manifest your Personal Vision in your daily life. It may be a
few words or several pages, but it is not a "to do" list. It reflects your
uniqueness and must speak to you powerfully about the person you are and
the person you are becoming. Remember, it's okay to be where you are, while
heading somewhere else. In fact, the only place you can start, is where
you are right now. Having a personal vision does not mean your life changes
overnight. But it will change. Your personal mission statement provides
the steps to get you there.
Your Personal Mission Statement should
answer three questions:
-
What is my life about (Purpose)?
-
What do I stand for (Values)?
-
What actions do I take to manifest my
Purpose and my Values?
Stephen Covey writes that an empowering
Mission Statement: Represents the deepest and best within you. It comes
out of a solid connection with your deep inner life. Is the fulfillment
of your own unique gifts. It's the expression of your unique capacity to
contribute. Addresses and integrates the four fundamental human needs and
capacities in the physical, social/emotional, mental and spiritual dimensions.
Deals with all the significant roles in your life. It represents a lifetime
balance of personal, family, work, community-whatever roles you feel are
yours to fill. Is written to inspire you-not to impress anyone else. It
communicates to you and inspires you on the most essential level.
"Creating a Personal Mission Statement
will be, without question, one of the most powerful and significant things
you will ever do to take leadership of you life. In it you will identify
the most important roles, relationships, and things in your life - who
you want to be, what you want to do, to whom and what you want of give
your life, the principles you want to anchor your life to, the legacy you
want to leave. All the goals and decisions you will make in the future
will be based upon it. It's like deciding first which wall you want to
lean your ladder of life against, and then beginning to climb. It will
be a compass - a strong source of guidance amid the stormy seas and pressing,
pulling currents of you life." Stephen Covey, author of The Seven Habits
of Highly Effective People
A Personal Vision/Mission can help
propel you into a new job, or make your present job work better for you.
The more connected your Personal Vision/Mission is to yourself, the better
it can guide your career and your life.
About The Author
Cecile Peterkin is a trained Career/Life
Coach and speaker whose work centers primarily on middle managers and their
various challenges. She also works with individuals who are ready to move
forward, take action, achieve goals and experience overall life improvement,
both in personal and in career.
Cosmic Coaching Centre
www.cosmiccoachingcentre.com
416-486-5000
cecile@cosmiccoachingcentre.com
Courtesy of http://www.ArticleCity.com/
