A few weeks ago, I pulled into a convenience store that had a banner out front touting “Best Quality, Fastest Service and Lowest Prices.” When I went into the store it was dirty, and the prices were double what I expected. I even had to go find the cashier! The Sales and Marketing arm of this store did their job of getting me in the door – but Operations didn’t deliver on the promise.
President George H.W. Bush famously – and sometimes humorously - struggled with what he called “the vision thing,” or the need to fit numerous complex issues facing his administration into larger themes that could help people understand the top goals and purposes of his administration.
Yet it is clear that having and being able to communicate a “vision” – a central and shared understanding of purpose and goals – is key to the success of virtually any organization, whether we’re talking about a Presidential Administration, a youth soccer club or, more to the point, your entrepreneurial business. Even if yours is a one-man show, a company in which you are the only employee, your business needs a vision that is both fully understood by those (or the one) inside and those on the outside with whom it does business. The importance of getting everyone in your organization to see – and to be able to communicate – the same picture of where your business is going and how it’s going to get there cannot be overstated.
Something that is surprisingly difficult in business is having a true functioning team. In his book The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni articulates four disciplines that are necessary to achieve organizational health. Discipline 1 is to build a cohesive leadership team. He poses the question of whether a group of leaders is a "team" or a "working group."
You may ask, what's the difference?
How often have you thought, “If I only had the right team I would achieve all my goals”? I know I have. Many times. There is a tremendous focus on the lack of available talent in the United States and elsewhere. We can’t find the right people for the job, and we create complex hiring practices to find the best talent for our team.
The right people are important. Yet, they aren't an indicator of future performance.
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.
