Page 208 - Performance Leadership

Chapter 11 The Return of the Mission Statement • 197

to the mission. A company offering diet products can describe its mis-
sion by stating that it contributes to the health of its customers through
nutrition.

The Mission Statement Should Be Inspiring and Truthful
The effectiveness of a mission statement is largely based on how peo-
ple refer to it. Many mission statements are not implemented within
the organization, so they are “hollow” or a product of “wishful think-
ing,” conveying a message of how the organization should be instead
of its reality. As a result, the employees ignore the mission statement
or, worse, treat it with cynicism. The cynicism appears as the employ-
ees have a different picture of the organization than the mission state-
ment portrays. For a mission statement to contribute to organizational
alignment, truthfulness should be the starting point and inspiration
should be the journey.
When managers and leaders are thinking about the best strategy for
the organization moving forward, the mission statement should be the
lighthouse. Over time more managers will develop ideas in which
direction to go; it could be that many different directions seem attrac-
tive. An inspiring mission statement makes it easier to decide what not
to do as well. The mission statement is meant to provide a common
purpose, direction, and shared expectations across all stakeholders.
Without the support of the shareholders, there is no capital. With-
out the support of the employees and the suppliers, no exceptional
work will be done. Without the strong acceptance by customers, there
is no business. Some mission statements focus completely on the share-
holders. In fact, one fashion brand’s mission statement only says: “Man-
agement’s primary objective is to create value for the company’s
shareholders.” It may be truthful and (potential) shareholders may be
inspired, but shareholders expect that as a given and therefore it does
not need a mission statement to spell it out. Employees most certainly
will not be inspired by it. And it will also not appeal to customers. This
brand misses an opportunity to use the mission statement as an instru-
ment to build customer awareness and preference. The only purpose
of the mission statement is to focus top management, and it doesn’t
even provide the guidance on how to achieve the goal.