Of Course I’m Right

Some of my thinking comes from the article “Building your Company’s Vision” by Collins and Porras, the authors of Built to Last. In it they describe how to write a reason for being, values and BHAGs. I have added spice. One of the issues with this topic is that each bloodsucking consultant—God blesses their souls because the world would be a boring place without them— has a different definition for what a mission statement, values, BHAGs etcetera, should be.

The lack of an agreed-upon definition creates lots of confusion. Corporate citizens argue about what a mission is, what a vision is and what the differences are. Then we get into what the heck a BHAG is. Yikes! Save me or stab me with that stick.

So, in the face of all that, let me finally give you the right definitions.

KIDDING! There is no right way to do this kind of foundational writing—the exorbitant fee charged by the bloodsucking consultant claiming to have the right way notwithstanding. The necessary ingredients in this exercise is that it be relevant to the participants and that they are prepared to demonstrate through committed action their adherence to what they have created— no kidding. Relevance is important, and in my way of thinking it is the only thing that is important.

Another way of thinking about this is the story about the sculptor. In this story the sculptor claims to see the piece of art that they are creating within the stone. There is this aspect to creating the mission and reason for being. It is like the Reason to Be, Values and BHAGs of the organization already exist. It has not been clearly articulated or distinguished, so that what needs to happen is that the participants work together to reveal something that already exists.

For more information about writing a company mission and vision visit the CMI Business Planning website.