Clarifying Your Company’s Compass
Sometimes, words like mission, vision, strategy, values, goals, and objectives can feel overwhelming and even get jumbled up. In this month’s blog, we’re going to break these concepts down in a way that’s easier to grasp.
I love this quote from a Convene piece:
“Leaders are responsible for defining the organization’s destination in three areas: where the company is going, why it is worth the journey, and what it will be like along the way.”
In many ways, that’s what leadership is all about—casting a vision for a future that's different from today and bringing others along for the ride. But how do mission, vision, strategy, and values really connect?
For the sake of our discussion, think of mission, vision, and values as the compass for why an organization exists and how it operates. In his book The Advantage, Patrick Lencioni outlines six critical questions every organization needs to answer:
Why do we exist?
How will we behave?
What will we do?
How will we succeed?
What’s important right now?
Who must do what?
Lencioni defines the first two questions as the “heart” of a company. The first question blends the company's mission and vision: where we’re going and why it matters. The second is all about values—how we behave along the way.
Recently, on a podcast (click here), Lencioni discussed Southwest Airlines and the current struggle for its "heart." Elliott Investment Management is pushing for major leadership changes, and there's growing dissatisfaction with Southwest’s current strategy and performance. This is a big shift for a company that was once known for democratizing travel, making it affordable for everyone. If a company changes the reason it exists, Lencioni says, it’s almost like starting a brand new company from scratch. (Yahoo Finance describes this here.)
And that brings us to values. A company's true culture is defined not by what’s written on the walls, but by how people live those values day-to-day. There's often a gap between the culture we aspire to and the one we actually have—what we say vs. what we do as the following diagram shows (Start with the Stated Values and go clockwise).
So, let me ask you: why does your company exist? If you’re doing your mission well, what might things look like in 5 or 10 years? And how do people talk about your culture compared to how you'd like them to?
These questions matter not just for organizations but for individuals too. Finding real happiness often comes from knowing your purpose and living by your own values.
If we can help you on this journey, whether it’s for your business or personal life, we’d love to connect! Feel free to reach out.
Until next month…