Developing Business’ Mission, Vision and Purpose Statements

Highly effective people including leaders use crystallized thinking to arrive at a decision, and then they act on that decision. For them crystallized thinking is the process that makes it possible to reach confident decisions about the goal they’ve chosen to pursue. Crystallized thinking is simply the act of clearly defining goals and objectives. If you are dissatisfied with your present rate of progress compared to your true potential for success, your goals are not clearly defined.

Understand that the same sort of crystallized thinking that brings highly effective leaders in touch with themselves and their potential is also the dynamic, shaping force that determines a course of action for the entire organization. At that level, the below questions serve to define vision and focus thought on possibilities for achievement:

1) What do I want? Asking this question helps isolate the specific dreams and desires. What is the reason for striving? What is the end result you seek? This is the foundational question that you must answer before you can continue to narrow vision and focus. 2) Why do I want it? This question seeks to uncover the true motivation behind your specific dreams and desires. Without this vital information, the quest for success at any level lacks real meaning. 3) Why do I not already have it? This question requires a certain amount of soul searching. If a goal is important to you, why is it not already a reality? Is it because you lack the skill, capabilities and motivation? What forces have kept you from achieving the goal before now?

4) Can I obtain it? This becomes a critical point that raises either a commitment to action or reluctance to move forward. 5) How will I measure it? This sort of question demands some sort of accurate methods of measuring success. Finding these accurate methods of measurement requires crystallized thinking and a willingness to think outside the box. Unfortunately, conventional thinking often restricts leaders and followers to methods that may no longer apply.

6) Whom will it affect? Will those affected include only members of your family or will they include members of society at large because the greater the impact, the greater the willingness to contribute to the overall effort? 7) Whom will it benefit? Will the goal or objective benefit only the leaders and their immediate families or those who work on the project? Or is there some greater benefit that extends outside the walls of leaders and their families or the organization? Like impact, benefit is a powerful motivator. The Larger and more widespread the benefit from achievement, the larger and more widespread the impact created.

8) Where will it lead me? Answering the final question requires considerable leadership foresight and the ability to forecast trends and changes. You may find, as you consider tracking data and trends, that the goal or objective you’ve focused upon will not take you where you want to go. This is important information – information that enables you to alter your course before the goal takes you someplace you don’t intend to go.

For organization, success always revolves around the progressive realization of worthwhile, predetermined goals. But before you move ahead to develop a plan of action to achieve organizational goals and objectives, you will first have to determine your organization’s mission, vision and purpose.

A vision statement lets your team members and customers know where the business is heading. Without a vision statement, many of your team members are likely to feel that they are a part of something quite ordinary…..something dull and lacking direction. The vision statement sets the tone for the future of the company. It should be exciting but brief; it should convey a sense of urgency and a clear sense of corporate destiny.

If you want to have a successful business and as well become a highly effective leader, take a good look at your vision statement. (I f you don’t have one, you need to set about creating one today!) A vision statement defines the future; every day you work without it, you are working for yesterday rather than for tomorrow.

Whether for yourself or business, a mission statement is a brief but powerful summary of your reason for existing. It provides direction, focus, and consistency for everything you and your team decides to do. A mission statement tells your team members and customers what the business does.

A mission statement is only effective, however, if team members know and understand it. In many company, employees never really grasp the meaning of the mission statement. In actuality, the livelihood of every member of the team depends on grasping both the words and meaning of the mission statement.

A concise, well-written business mission statement is the essence of crystallized thinking. It describes the purpose of the business in terms relating not only to product or service marketed but also in terms of who comprises the market for the product or service, how the product or service benefits the consumer, and how the business will benefit from success. Most successful leaders know they will be unable to achieve their goals unless everyone involved in the process can achieve their own goals.

A statement of purpose simply states why you and your team are making the effort to succeed. In the greater scheme of things, a statement of purpose should probably come before mission and vision statements. After all, the motivation for action must precede the action itself. Many business and highly effective leaders already have mission and vision statements, although overly wordy and imprecise.

So why save the statement of purpose for last? Largely because it requires the highest degree of deliberate, crystallize thinking, which is the prime reason why most leaders and organizations lack anything resembling a statement of purpose. A statement answers one fundamental question: “Why am I doing what I’m doing?

This question applies as much to you personally as it does to the organization to which you belong. It also applies to every person who helps you in the effort to be successful.

(Chealy Brown Dennis is a marketing and business development consultant. He is also a much sought after motivational speaker and offers training in leadership and organizational development, creative sales and marketing, strategic planning and team building. He also offers on-location and train-the-trainer formats for leaders, managers, businesses and organizations. He can be contacted through email at: dennisbc2011@yahoo.com or on phone at: 0886-264-611 or 0776-545-394)