How To Clarify Your Mission In 2 Minutes Or Less

Why Give a Damn:

A ton of money has been wasted over-complicating these three things, read on to discover how to get clear on your vision, your mission and your values.

The authors of this post, Andrew Missingham and Ben Gallagher, are problem solvers who specialize in strategic planning, prototyping and facilitation. In this series they are documenting the launch of their company benandandrew.com

The secret is…
your mission is inside you, you just need to look.  Tweet This Quote

Much of the work that we’re asked to do is helping businesses clarify their vision, their mission and their values, then setting the direction from there.

As we’re amongst friends, we’ll be frank: a ton of money has been spent and enough hot air to launch the Montgolfier Brothers to the Moon and back has been wasted over complicating these three things. Because the secret is; they’re always inside you, you just need to look. Even without knowing it, you use vision, mission and values as a system to check in when you’re doing just about anything that’s important to you.

Here’s a quick example that will help you clarify your vision, mission and values:

Imagine you’re going out for a meal with your boyfriend or girlfriend (or husband or wife, if your boyfriend or girlfriend is busy!).

Even without knowing it, you use vision, mission and values as a system to check in.  Tweet This Quote

• Your vision is where you’re headed. It’s what success looks. So, after you’ve gone out on your date, your vision might be:
  “The future I’m trying to create is a warm fuzzy one. Satisfied, happy and reconnected. And this vision will be manifested by us cuddling up on the sofa when we get home.”
• Your mission is your purpose and what you’ll do to fulfill your vision. It can also encompass the reason you do what you’re doing. So on your night out, your mission statement might read:
  “I aim to catch up with the one I love after a long hard week, looking into their eyes, listening and sharing the quality time we deserve. Because time is precious, but nothing’s more precious than love”.
• Your values are what’s important to you. Your values are the foundation of who you are, and what’s unique about you. They also define the edges of what you’ll do or not do (you can often tell when your values are transgressed because you feel an upsurge of anger – “how dare they?!”). On your night out your values might be:
  

  You can often tell when your values are transgressed because you feel an upsurge of anger.  Tweet This Quote

  “I love to talk and I love to listen, so I love a place where there’s music, but it’s not too loud. I love intimacy, but I love to see what I’m eating (so subdued lighting, but not so dark I’m squinting). I love any food except fish & chips, but I live for great sushi.”

Easy right?

So sack the consultant and try it yourself. It’s inside you. Anytime you’ve got a challenge that needs a successful outcome (your vision – most often you should set this first, as it sets a direction of travel), a purpose (your mission), and in getting there, you’ll need to hold true to who you are (your values), just look inside. It’ll be there, you just have to look and you’ll find it.

Sack the business consultant and try it yourself!  Tweet This Quote