Chapter 4
Perfect Phrases to Create a Mission, Vision, and Values-Based Team
,
People burn out more from a lack of purpose than from a lack of energy.1 We can establish that purpose by inviting our employees to respond to the questions “Why are we here?” and “What are we trying to do?” with heartfelt answers they can commit to. If our teams have a shared vision of purpose, they will move in the same direction. If our teams have shared values, they can work together to get the job done. When we do a good job defining mission, vision, and values and engage our employees in the process, it establishes them in our team’s minds and hearts. The mission, vision, and values will guide daily decisions and will foster commitment and involvement.
When I speak about mission and values in management seminars, many managers roll their eyes, groan, and slouch back in their chairs. That’s because they work for companies that have mission statements in name only. Few are following the mission and many don’t even know what the mission statement is. The mission was created without synergistic engagement.
I recently asked a new associate to help me refine my mission, vision, and values. She was deeply moved that I asked her to engage at that level, and she was quite emphatic about how that kind of engagement deepened her commitment.
That contrasts with one company where the executive committee spent countless hours developing the company values, goals, and mission. When they completed it, they posted it on every bulletin board. One of the primary values listed was respect: “We respect our clients, our vendors, and our co-workers.” One of the executives that helped write the mission statement practiced management by intimidation. He yelled at his staff during meetings, sometimes yelled at clients, and was rude to vendors. Staff figured the executive would not be allowed to behave that way if upper management really valued what the statements said they did.
If you have a fixed organizational mission statement, reinforce it by applying it in things you say and do. In addition, work with your group to create a complementary statement for your own department or team. One caution: if you’re not prepared to walk the talk, don’t write it. You will do more harm than good.
If you are willing to manage by principles, use the following Perfect Phrases to help you draw out the common mission, vision, and values. Most of the phrases are in the form of a question so you can use them to brainstorm.
Perfect Phrases to Establish Mission
Our missions define the purpose of our teams, departments, and organizations. For example, the mission of my organization, SpeakStrong Inc., is “To work with individuals and leaders at every level who have moved beyond victimhood and power games and seek to liberate their thinking and communication from remaining vestiges of limitation and contention, and to empower magnetic influence based on confluent communication and reciprocal engagement.”
That mission still makes me shiver.
If your organization has a mission statement, reinforce it. Instead of skipping this section, use it to create a department or team mission that makes you and your team shiver too. Ask some of the following questions:
What would a perfect world look like where everyone benefited from what we do?
Fill in the blank: Imagine a world where . . .
If we could only accomplish one thing, what should it be?
Why are we important?
What makes us great?
What makes us unique?
What is our greatest contribution to the (world, customers, company)?
What do our customers really want from us?
If our customers wrote our mission statement, what would it say?
What do you like about our company?
What don’t you like about our company?
Considering the input, what would you say our mission is?
How can we rank these missions?
Which of these missions is the highest priority?
Is this a mission you can believe in?
What would make it more relevant for you?
Perfect Phrases to Establish Vision
Our visions are our pictures of possibilities for our organizations and units. For example, the vision of SpeakStrong is “To make the new dynamics of communication a communication standard. To become the leading experts on evolving communication trends. To model the new dynamics of communication in word and deed.”
We may fall short of our vision, but we strive toward it.
Use these phrases to encourage your team to form a shared vision to strive toward.
Here is my picture of what we can do. What pictures do you have?
How do you see us at our best?
If we could become whatever we wanted and we knew we could not fail, what would we look like?
How do you picture us being as valuable to the larger organization as possible?
Realistically, what can we envision?
Where are you personally in that picture?
If you could change anything, what would it be?
How does your vision for yourself blend with your vision for the company?
What are you willing to do to make this vision happen?
Are you willing to commit to this vision?
How would you rank the proposed visions?
Which visions inspire you most?
Perfect Phrases to Establish Values
A value is a principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable. For example, the SpeakStrong values are the new dynamics of communication. We strive to observe them in everything we do.
People prioritize work according to their values. If you have conflict, it could be the result of differing values. Most companies have stated values. If your company has stated values, keep them in mind for yourself and your team. Take it a step further and use these Perfect Phrases to determine team values.
What values feed our mission and vision?
What values do we share?
What matters most: quality, service, or profit?
What do you like about our products (services)?
What would make you like our products (services) more?
What do you like about how we operate?
What would make you like how we operate more?
What makes work worth doing for you?
Name two people you admire and two qualities they each embody.
What values would you be willing to die for?
What does it mean to work here?
What do you want it to mean?
What qualities do you believe should drive our business?
If we stop thinking about what we should value and review what we do value, what would we come up with?
Which of these values are most important?
What values are we willing to commit to?
Perfect Phrases to Empower the Mission, Vision, and Values
After we create our mission, vision, and values, Perfect Phrases dynamize them. No matter how well designed our vision, mission, and values are, they are worthless unless we apply them. Refer to yours routinely. Tie the most mundane activity into the bigger picture. Here are some phrases to help you do that.
This initiative aligns with our mission because (reason).
Your job requirement of (activity) may seem mundane, but it contributes to our mission in a significant way.
It may seem like you’re just (answering the phone, shuffling numbers, fighting little fires), but in fact you are contributing to our mission in an indispensible way.
If we are serious about achieving our vision of (vision), this (project, idea, decision) will help us by (benefit).
Since our top value is (value), I suggest we proceed by (action step).
Which decision best fulfills our (mission, vision, values)?
I admire your commitment to our (mission, vision, values).
This milestone shows a deep commitment to our team (mission, vision, values).
Let’s use our (mission, vision, values) to decide this.
If we are really committed to our values, we’ll address this issue.
This decision is not consistent with our mission.
Remember our mission.
It’s worth the time to develop values. I see teams, departments, and companies that operate with a high degree of energy and alignment because they are committed to the same mission, vision, and values. Sometimes when they tell me what they stand for, I don’t get it. But I don’t need to. Your mission doesn’t need to inspire me. It needs to inspire you.
I watched in awe as a group from a hotel chain stood up and sang their mission statement with pride and pleasure to a room of seminar attendees. They let their commitment show. Let yours show too. No, you don’t have to put your statements to music, but it wouldn’t hurt! If you and your team are guided by shared mission, vision, and values, your employees will make decisions in your absence that will be the same as decisions while you’re there. And you will be well on your way toward a harmonious, synergistic engagement.