In most organizations, the mission statement hangs in a dusty frame on the wall. Written with good intentions, it has long been forgotten. The statement has become an ugly lobby decoration.
When employees and managers are disconnected from the company’s mission statement, employee engagement suffers. Those leaders who have been most successful during this economy have been those that have been able to rally their troops around a common cause and refocus them on the core of the business. Those who are most successful use their mission statement.
Here are three ways to use your mission statement to impact company results:
1. Promote the mission statement internally. External communication and advertising about a company’s mission statement has always been important. Often the mission statement is purely an outside publicity tool. But what we seem to forget is the importance of communicating and promoting the mission statement internally. The mission statement should be branded, used in company emails and communications, publicized in company meetings, and found ubiquitously in working spaces (not just the lobby).
2. Let the mission statement drive company priorities. Put your money where your mouth is. Business priorities should be derived from the mission statement. The mission statement should dictate where money is allocated, what projects are begun, who is hired and promoted, and what the executive team is focusing on. The mission statement should be used in every decision to ensure proper focus.
3. Evaluate employee alignment with the mission statement. In order to progress, organizations must be able to take a pulse of the current situation. Periodically, managers should be evaluated for their commitment and understanding of the mission statement using 360-degree feedback. To measure the trickle-down of the mission statement from managers to individual contributors, use employee surveys to measure company-wide alignment with the values of the mission statement.
