“We have to find a purpose that has us?” Rachel was confused. “I’m not sure I understand. We are trying to do strategic planning for 2007. I get that we have to define our purpose. I know that purpose will drive the rest of the plan. But you make it sound like that purpose has to be some powerful compelling force. We bake bread.”
“Exactly!” I said. “What kind of bread do you bake?”
“Well, we bake all kinds of bread.”
“So, why do you bake bread?”
“I don’t understand.” Rachel’s head was moving from side to side. She wasn’t disagreeing, but she was having difficulty with the question.
“Why do you bake bread?” I repeated.
“Because our customers buy it.”
“And, why do your customers buy it?”
“Well, bread is consumed at almost every meal in some form or another. People eat a lot of bread. It’s a comfort food.” Rachel was trying.
“Why is bread so important to people?”
“It’s just part of life, bread goes with everything. It’s universal. Around the world, all cultures eat bread. When people get together, they break bread. It’s almost a bond between people.”
“And do you bake quality bread?” I asked.
“The best,” Rachel smiled. “Hot out of the oven, warm, soft, drizzle a little honey on it, just the smell of it makes you feel good.”
“Rachel, you are on the right track. Somewhere in what you describe is purpose. Somewhere in there is vision. Somewhere in there is mission.”
“It’s funny you should say that,” she said. “In the hallway is our mission statement, only it’s just a picture, of a steaming loaf of bread emerging from an oven door.”
What is your company’s mission? If you were to take a picture, what would it be a picture of? Post a comment below. -TF
My photo would be of our builder customer, standing in front of one of our installed staircase systems, along side of his/her homebuyer, both with great big smiles and shaking hands with a Symmetrical staff member as they thank us for a job that exceeded all expectations on service and quality.
Michael
Dear Friend,
The mission statement of the company quoted above according to me should be that we provide people with means to satisfy their hunger, and a means to be together. They should keep thier mission open, lest tomorrow they find a new trend in eating emerging and their vision too narrow to accomodate that trend. Also they may not be able to expand their business if they find the vision too narrowly defined.
http://www.tekno-world.blogspot.com
I subscribe to the Caryn Spain rule on Mission Statements. First they should integrate well with an organization’s strategy. Mission statemens should be external statements to Customer and Company Associates. Your Mission should be about Which Customers you serve, Which Services you provide, and HOW you differentiate our organization. (Why do our Customers buy from us versus the competition?) From experience this has been a powerful use of words that clearly delivers the mission message to our Associates and Customers. Most mission statements I’ve seen are meaningless mush…..
Bill,
Thank you for reminding us of a great resource in the area of strategic planning. It has been at least five years since I saw her, but her planning tools and helpful definitions make the annual planning process so much more effective.
A crystal-clear image of your mission is as important as the best written statement. It can be a great addition to selling your plan throughout the organization as well as a long-term visual, impactful reminder of why you took the time to create a plan in the first place.
Thanks for the reminder.