People scoff when someone uses the term "mission statement." Why are the majority of mission statements simply statements? Because we're attempting to channel people's interests and skills toward a cause they have no interest in or want to participate in. However, nothing is more potent than what motivates people's passions. By utilising those, you can unleash an unstoppable power. However, enthusiasm is frequently dumbed down to a one statement that might not resonate with everyone, and this is where scepticism originates.
So, use whatever name you like, a slogan, manifesto, purpose statement, or "the voice of the organisation" if people are allergic to the term "mission statement”, regardless of the name, you desperately need it. The conventional model involves writing a mission statement and then putting it on the wall. The new model of leadership involves assisting others in finding their voice, both individually and collectively.
The mission should represent the viewpoint of the entire workforce rather than just that of the boss. The mission must express everyone's potential, reflect their values, and speak to their souls if you want them to take ownership of it, and Stephen R. Covey said, "Voice lies at the confluence of talent, passion, conscience, and need."
Secondly, another factor contributing to people's scepticism about the firm purpose statement is often derived from the fact that the company is frequently out of step with it. The lofty declarations conflict with what people are required to perform on a daily basis. Basically, people don't practise what they preach.
It can hence be understood as a compelling corporate voice or mission must appeal to people's passionate interests, make use of their unique abilities, appease their consciences, and address a critical market need. It's challenging to meet all of these requirements at once, but it is necessary to recognise that the leader's role is to bring various components of the organization's "voice" together.
The understanding of a purpose requires an underlying understanding of the way you are leveraging the talents, abilities and potential of your employees, but also by yourself as an individual:
Ability: Are you making use of the team members' unique talents?
Enthusiasm: Do they tackle their tasks with vigour and dedication?
Consciousness: Is your company acting appropriately? Are you appealing to people's innate urge to act responsibly toward others?
Need: What precise task are your internal and external clients employing you for? A job description is considerably different from the job for which you have been hired.
Hence, purpose or in this case a mission is not defined by the policies and power politics of the organisation, rather about the view and voice of its own people, through leadership.
An internal feeling of purpose is what employees genuinely need to feel motivated and fulfilled in their work. People feel loyal to businesses that support their own career and life aspirations, or what is meaningful to them, as Deloitte discovered in a 2016 study. Everyone needs to discover a personal sense of significance in their work, regardless of their level, industry, or career. With simple dialogue, leaders can help people develop this inner sense of purpose—what matters now in each person's life and career. Action identification theory, which holds that there are various levels of description for every action, is one method. The Harvard Business Review speaks of ‘5 questions To Help Your Employees Find Their Inner Purpose’, these include:
· What are you skilled at? What aspects of your work do you like? What do you anticipate doing? How would you spend your time if you were free to design your career as you wanted? These queries aid in locating or rediscovering the aspects of work that people enjoy. The purpose of this is to assist people in identifying their talents and create opportunities from there.
· How do you communicate with others? Which business alliances are ideal for you? What would your favourite people's workspace look like? How does your job improve your ties to family and friends? These inquiries urge people to consider and nurture connections that give employment greater meaning. How far away from your goals for yourself is your work today?
These questions will give you a laid out plan in themselves, but extracting key ideas from this gives the essence of defining and working with purpose, both at the organisational and at the individual level.