What Do You Do and How Do You Do It?

Written by James Sanders

What do you do and how do you do it?  I know there you are a lot of “Do’s” in that question and I am sure somewhere an English teacher is cringing.  However, the question is important.  Do you know what your organization is about or why it exists?  If you don’t know the answer, then you probably have an organization that does not have a well thought out mission statement. 

What exactly is a mission statement?  Essentially, a mission statement defines what line of business a company is in, why it exists and what purposes it serves.  So, how do you define this for your company?  There are lots of different ways to land on this important concept.  Below are some helpful articles and videos, which you might find insightful:

• Why Corporate Mission Statements Still Matter (forbes.com)
• What Makes a Great Corporate Purpose Statement (hbr.org)
• I’ve Built 22 Companies in 89 Countries – Here’s Why a Clear Mission Is the Ultimate Growth Hack (Entrepreneur.com)
• Simon Sinek – “Start With Why”

The bottom line is that if you can’t define why your business exists, it is tough for your customers or employees to know it.  Next week, we will discuss the importance of a vision statement, which is not the same as the mission statement.