Will Your Mission Statement Send People To The Moon?

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy used a short speech to motivate an entire nation to "put a man on the Moon and return him safely by the end of the decade." His goal was turned into a reality on July 20, 1969 when Neil Armstrong put his footprints onto the Moon.

What if President Kennedy was a typical, modern-day CEO? What would his speech have sounded like? Would it have been as effective? These are questions that Chip Heath and Dan Heath asked in their bestselling book Made to Stick.

They postulate that CEO Kennedy's speech would have gone something like this:

"Our mission is to become the international leader in the space industry through maximum team-centered innovation and strategically targeted aerospace initiatives."

Do your vision and mission statements have the ability to motivate and inspire? If not, consider a change.