Crafting Mission, Vision and Values Statements

Mission/vision/values -- so many leaders spend days crafting them, but why?

In most cases, these carefully crafted words do little to inspire staff or improve organizational performance.

So what should leaders do instead to inspire, focus, and rally the organization?

• Craft mission statements with clear definitions of every group's line of business.
• Craft vision statements with a detailed description of how the organization should work.
• Craft values with specific behaviors you can teach, model, and measure.

BOTTOMLINE: Words are cheap. It's actions that inspire change. And change can only occur when you change attitudes and behaviors.