Much has been made of core values and vision statements in the past, even though most do nothing but collect dust as good intentions.
The other breed of bad mission statements are those that convey nothing at all.
Like this one I spotted on a neighbor’s keycard while lunching the other day:
"To create competitive advantage by building a strong team"
I have to give the folks that came up with this kudos for putting the mission statement somewhere so unforgettable, and for being brave enough to tackle a mission statement under such severe space limitations. But they certainly receive a "needs development" in communicating something 1) genuine and inspiring; and 2) specific enough to spur aligned action.
Fast Company’s article on AOL’s woes last month expressed similar sentiments.
"At the simplest level, AOL’s troubles in the past couple of years are
the story of a business without a vision and therefore without guiding
principles to clarify which risks are worth taking — and which are
worth sticking to. Back in its heyday, AOL’s mission statement hung on
a plaque in the lobby in Dulles, in shiny silver lettering that read, to build a global medium as central to people’s lives as the telephone or television… and even more valuable.
By 2000, that vision had been accomplished, and no next-stage
aspiration had risen to replace it. AOL did finally convene a committee
to write a new mission statement in 2006. They came up with this gem:
"To serve the world’s most engaged community." It is a creed that could
just as well suit a Hardee’s."
If you find your organization similarly lacking vision and direction, do yourself a favor: be brave enough to write a mission statement worth believing in and acting upon. In so doing, you’ll inevitably also alienate some of those who don’t share the vision (more on that here), but at least you’ll know that you have the right people on the bus, and they won’t just be along for the ride.
