A little boy approached his mommy with this question: “Mommy, is it true that we come from dust and some day we return to dust?”

“Yes, that’s what I believe,” his mother responded.

“Then,” said the little boy, “there is someone under my bed, but I don’t know if he is coming or going.”

Countless teams experience the same confusion, unsure if they are coming or going.  While questioning the direction of their efforts, they wander aimlessly searching for a reason for what they do.

Did you know one of the main reasons people underperform is that they don’t know “why” they are doing what they are doing?  I can’t imagine not understanding the “why” behind my daily activity and how I am contributing in some small way to the overall success of the company.

A solid mission, a sense of purpose provides the unquestionable direction that teams need to know if they are “coming or going.”

Living the Mission

No organization, small or large, can succeed over the long haul without energized team members who believe in, understand, and are passionate about living the mission.

Leader – your job is to become comfortable with seeing actions, performance, and events in your organization through the lens of the mission, vision, and values. Without sounding too philosophical, you need to develop a meaningful personal relationship with the mission, so it is the compelling force for everything you do.

How can you make the mission jump off the page of the poster into real life?

Consider Winston Churchill. During his first speech as prime minister in the House of Commons, he declared his powerful obsession: “You ask; ‘what is our aim?’ I can answer that in one word: ‘Victory.’ Victory at all costs, victory in spite of terror, victory however long and hard the road may be: for without victory there is no survival.”

Churchill left little doubt what the purpose was, and everyone knew “why” they were doing what they were called to do. Victory!

Finding the Answer to ‘Why’

You ask, what is our purpose? Why do we do what we do? What does my job have to do with purpose anyway?

Leader - What is your passionate response?

This may all sound a bit theoretical and to some degree, it is. Yet, a well-embraced mission serves leaders by providing direction, meaning, and a sense of coherence to everything they do. 

Mission is a power-producing, directional tool that gives people the “why” behind the “what.”

Question to Ponder:

How will you make the mission the powerful tool it is intended to be?