Does your team understand the importance of your mission and vision statements?

Be honest with yourself.   As an entry level employee did you fully understand the difference between your corporate mission and vision statements?  Did you even know what your organization's mission and vision statements were?

I don't know if a mission or vision statement even existed for the first three companies I worked for after college.  No one in a position of authority ever bothered to share them with me, and I was too green at that point in my young career to think of asking.

How naïve of me.  But how ignorant of them. 

A mission statement illustrates a business' goals and purpose. It has one common function: to guide you and your employees in making critical decisions that effect the direction of your company.  Every employee in an organization from the top down should know the corporate mission. 

Disney has one of the shortest mission statements I've ever read, but also one of the best:  "To make people happy".  This mission statement couldn't be any easier to understand, both internally and externally.

While a mission statement proclaims what you want to achieve as an organization, a vision statement asserts what you need to accomplish in order to achieve it. 

 For example - Coca Cola's mission statement (what they want to achieve):

•To refresh the world...

•To inspire moments of optimism and happiness...

•To create value and make a difference.

Coca Cola's vision statement (what they need to accomplish in order to fulfill the mission):

•People: Be a great place to work where people are inspired to be the best they can be.

•Portfolio: Bring to the world a portfolio of quality beverage brands that anticipate and satisfy people's desires and needs.

•Partners: Nurture a winning network of customers and suppliers, together we create mutual, enduring value.

•Planet: Be a responsible citizen that makes a difference by helping build and support sustainable communities.

•Profit: Maximize long-term return to shareowners while being mindful of our overall responsibilities.

•Productivity: Be a highly effective, lean and fast-moving organization.

Coca Cola's mission and vision statements are very complementary.  They don't believe one can be achieved without the other. 

Having both a vision and a mission statement is of critical importance to an organization.  But if the statements aren't complementary, and aren't shared with internal and external stakeholders, what's the point?  Your employees will begin working in silos and your customers won't understand the value of your company.

Most organizations tend to spend more time focusing on the strategic plan than they do on the mission and vision statements. But while also of obvious critical importance, if the strategic plan isn't designed to serve the mission and vision statements, the plan will become nothing more than a document full of independent "tasks".

A strong business regularly reminds its employees and customers of its vision and mission, or it runs the risk of becoming unfocused and losing its identity.  And nothing will destroy a company faster than one that doesn't know who it is.

Why your employees should be able to recite your company's mission statement and why you should care!

I recently received an email from a colleague in Atlanta who was sitting in on a presentation by a well respected leader within the Goodwill movement.  My colleague told me that the speaker, who is unrecognizable to most Goodwill employees (see "Undercover Boss), commented that he had recently stopped in at a Goodwill of Greater Washington Donation Center and asked one of the donation attendants if they knew what Goodwill's mission was.  The "undercover boss" said the attendant "nailed it"!  He then went into the retail store to shop and asked the same question of one of the cashiers.  He said the cashier also "nailed it"!

Given that communicating the nature of Goodwill's mission internally had been a problem for many years, reading this email made me feel like our team had just hit a home run!

I'm quite confidant that anyone who posed a similar question to a Goodwill of Greater Washington employee would have the same experience because our organization has made internal mission awareness a priority.  All of our employees are brand ambassadors, so it is important that they understand how the work that they do impacts our community, since they are "on the front lines".  It gives them a pride of ownership, and helps them realize that they play a big part in Goodwill's success.  This simple email from a colleague made my day because it reinforced that our collective efforts are working!

Goodwill's employees understand our mission because we communicate it in everything that we do. We have an excellent orientation and training process where prospective employees are taught our mission and its importance.  We developed new core values that are constantly communicated and reinforced through all levels of the organization (Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence).  This includes understanding and respecting the Goodwill mission.  We regularly congratulate employee efforts that are a positive reflection of the Goodwill mission and values; and we gather (ALL 500 OF US) once a year to celebrate the Goodwill mission, while also recognizing employees who most positively represent what Goodwill stands for.

What is the return on this investment you ask?  Improved retail sales, improved customer experience, improved mission services, improved employee morale, improved organizational reputation, improved brand awareness, improved brand equity, improved funding and donations, improved bottom line.  We've witnessed the impact, which was immediate and culture changing.

Can your employees restate your corporate mission?  If so, do they take pride in your mission? 

Don't overlook the importance of communicating with your employees and making them feel a part of your organization.  Businesses are constantly looking for ways to impact customers and prospects.  But how much effort are you making to engage your internal customers (your employees), who should be your company's best advocates?  Do they know what your company stands for?  If not, what do you think they are telling people when asked about your business?

Have you read the Disney mission statement?  "To make people happy".  Pretty easy to remember and just as easy for employees at all levels to deliver on if they know it and believe it.