Yes, the world has gotten more complex. As a result, many organizations believe their mission statements should as well. Most are so complex they’re ignored, sitting on some far-flung part of a website, or engraved on a dusty wall plaque. Their purpose – lost in corporate jibber-jabber – isn’t believable or inspirational. It’s time for mission statements to take a lesson from the military. Let me explain.
There is no possible way that every minute detail can be communicated to every solider on the battlefield. The enemy prepared as much as you have, and because of this, has a “say” on how your operation will be carried out. This is true of your competitors and customers, although I hope you don’t see your customers as enemies (I believe some companies do). In today’s world, the customer gets a “say” on how your message will be perceived thanks to today’s technology. With competitors become more and more savvy, they too may have an impact on how exactly your mission statement gets carried out. Realizing these issues, it’s important that your mission statement is similar to the military’s “commander’s intent.”
The commander’s intent focuses on an end state communicated to each and every member. It doesn’t include superfluous statements or concrete direction, but where each team member needs to be (mentally or physically) and what they need to accomplish, despite whatever may happen as the mission is carried out. If the commander’s intent is to take that hill, then even the last solider standing knows that he has to take that hill, regardless of rank, positioning, skill, etc. This is a simplification of the military’s approach, but a powerful way to communicate. When your colleagues or employees are faced with a customer-facing dilemma, do they know what they should do by default? A mission statement should answer that question.
Several of my colleagues faced a similar challenge when they were creating our firm’s new mission statement: “Giving voice to ideas, people and organizations impacting the world.” In no way does this statement focus on specific ways to accomplish this. That’s the point! Goals and needs are different for every person we work with. The tools and technologies we use to reach our goals change rapidly. Regardless, each team member knows their job is to give that voice to our clients and to use the tactics and technologies to make sure it happens.
Another example is from a company my father helps operate, International Micro Industries. Its motto, or what I like to refer to as a commander’s intent, is very simple: “To Spec, On Time.” These four words say a lot: every product must be completed to the client’s specifications and on time, no matter the circumstances. Every employee knows by default what they need to do as part of that organization’s mission.
So what is the commander’s intent for your organization? For your next meeting? Once you begin to use this process, you’ll see that it is flexible enough to be used in almost any communications process. It may seem vague at first, but trust me: you’ll find it liberating and clarifying!
Jim Nichols is Vice President – Digital at Stern + Associates, a full-service communications firm that fuses the best of public relations, traditional media, digital, marketing and direct engagement strategies through its Connected Communications® approach. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org