Business owners know that providing an excellent product with excellent service at excellent prices typically leads to strong growth and profitability. But did you know there is another more subtle — possibly more powerful — factor that can pave the path to better profits? It’s your mission statement.
Your Mission Drives Your People
A company’s mission statement is a clear, memorable, concise statement describing why the company exists. It energizes a sense of purpose, guides your decisions, builds strong cultures, gives meaning and inspiration to your people, fuels employee retention, engagement and innovation, and ultimately heightens customer satisfaction. This, in turn, lowers costs and boosts profits!
At EOS, we call this statement your Core Focus, a combination of the purpose/cause/passion that truly drives your people — as well as your business niche. This is the “why” of your business.
We passionately encourage business owners to keep their eye on the Core Focus, and avoid the temptation of chasing the “shiny stuff” that lures them away from what they do best. Figuring out your Core Focus and stating it clearly will attract people who genuinely want to make the journey with you and remain highly engaged in their work.
Why should you care about that? Research shows that, at best, 30% of workers are actually engaged in their jobs, while 40-50% are just putting in time and 20-30% are so disengaged that they’re actually working against you. That is if your company is just normal. How much stronger would your company be if 100% of your people gave you everything they had, every day?
The "Why" of a Business
Here are a few examples of great mission statements:
- Starbucks: Our mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
- Nike: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.
- CVS Corporation: To be the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use.
- Microsoft: To help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential.
- HandsOn Network: To inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world.
- Southwest Airlines: Dedicated to the highest level of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride and company spirit.
In fact, Southwest Airlines hires for congruence with their mission. They hire for attitude and train for skills. They create a fun, caring environment for employees and customers, which inspires employee engagement and customer satisfaction. Again, this lowers costs and boosts profits!
Making Your Work Matter
You can make that happen. The starting place is making sure that everyone in your company knows how the work they do matters, even in a small way, in making the world a better place. That’s the magic of having a powerful mission statement!
Next Steps
- Share this post with your network or add your comment below!
- Download a copy of the EOS V/TO™ to help you crystallize the "Why" of your business
- Request a free 90-Minute Meeting with an EOS Implementer to get a clear picture of what it looks like to run your company on EOS
This post was originally published on the B-Better blog.
