Time to Tear Down the Mission Statement Wall

How many of the mission and vision statements are still posted on walls? Next, the truth please, how many staff can recite it without reading it aloud?

Mission and vision statements were a great trend and did in fact help with focus and strategy for a company. I would suggest however that it is not these proclamations that drive the company. Purpose drives the company, and it should be at the forefront integrated into the company DNA. The litmus test for company acceptance is when every employee can recite the company purpose because this is what drives them as well!

Purpose goes beyond revenues and profits. Purpose is about making a genuine difference in the world. The statement should only be a sentence or two that gets to the heart of what makes the company tick, what gets all of us out of bed in the morning. The statement is easy to remember and understand. Here is the Edoc Service purpose statement (including amplification).  Purpose and principles go hand in hand. Here are ours.

Okay, purpose and principles are identified so now let’s talk about ethics. Contrary to what is often taught in academia, ethics starts at the top of the organization; ethics is not a “bottom-up” driven process. Here is an ethical business site worth visiting.

One last point: Once the company purpose is identified and embedded with ethics embraced, it is now time to revisit the hiring strategy. Here’s the rule: Hire for culture fit first and skill second. Most companies today still do the opposite and lament when they have a producer with baggage, pulling down the team. Start the interview process by showing them the purpose and principles and see how they react. If they glaze over it is probably best to move on.