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.
Excellent advice. If I read another mission statement using as their "reason for being" the providing of "solutions" i think I shall be sick.
My real-world contact at present provides me with the challenge of political public relations that overcomes the ever-increasing "noise level" in that field. I find it helps to reduce a communication to those elements named using the terminology of radio, though you can be sure I avoid actually using such "private language" when I'm actually doing any real writing.
Posted by: Joel Raupe | March 22, 2008 at 05:32 PM
You bought the BOOK! Like it? Love it? made me look back for a post I did On made to Stick can't believe it was 11/06!!
Posted by: Michael Gibbons | March 23, 2008 at 09:46 PM
Joel,
Thanks for the comment. There are many mission statements out there that sound alike and get lost in the noise.
Posted by: Roger Carr | March 24, 2008 at 12:58 AM
Hi Michael,
Yes, I bought the book within hours of you recommending it to me. I have only read the introduction and I am already writing blog posts based on what I learned. I am enjoying it very much. Thanks for sharing it with me.
Posted by: Roger Carr | March 24, 2008 at 01:01 AM
Roger, I thought you'd like it -- I don;t read too many books more than once --this one is ca constant reference for me Made to Stick!
Posted by: Michael Gibbons | March 24, 2008 at 10:42 PM