Most mission statements are useless. Organizations spend time crafting and word-smithing statements that they want to use as a guiding force for the people that work there. However, few organizations get beyond words on a web page or a printed piece of paper. Some even print glossy color posters of their mission statement and hang it on the wall of their lobby. All useless.
Any most athletic department mission statements all say the same thing: “… to develop student-athletes… leadership…. integrity… good citizens… etc., etc.” What will distinguish your department from other institutions is the action behind your words. In other words, how do you do the things your mission statement claims???
For mission statements to be effective they must transfer words into actions. Few organizations take the time, or know how, to drill down through aspirations to create meaningful ways for everyone in the organization to connect their day-to-day work to the mission.
3 Keys to An Effective Mission Statement
1. Clarity of Purpose
Answer the following questions precisely:
- WHAT is it that we do?
- WHY do we do it?
- WHO do we do it for ?(forgive the grammar)
2. Vision of Success
- If we perform at our very best, what happens?
- When [fill in the blank] happens, we are most proud of what we do.
3. Focused Actions with Defined Outcomes
If we want to perform at our very best and realize our vision of success, what are:
- The specific steps we must take to make progress towards success?
- Milestones or performance indicators that will tell us how we are progressing?
- Specific results or outcomes and who is responsible for each of them?
There are no shortcuts to effective planning. The key is asking and answering the key “W” questions: What, Why, Who, When.
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