I’m a big fan of mission statements. For me, they are the starting place in making sure I’m doing the right thing in my life and in my business.
Most mission statements I read are too long and don’t have any real daily relevance in how one lives their life or runs their business. It’s the short statements that help provide direction that a mission statement should have.
I think if you own a business there must be three mission statements that you have. If you don’t own a business then there are two. These statements are a personal statement, a family statement and a business statement. Of the three, the family mission statement is often the most difficult to build.
Start with your personal mission statement. I believe the first mission statement that must be built is a personal mission statement. This will tell you and all the people around you what’s important in your life.
Next, put together a family mission statement. This is by far the most difficult statement to build. You must assemble all the personal mission statements in your family and then come up with a statement that encompasses all of the individual statements.
Third, put together a business mission statement. Now that you have figured out what your personal mission statement is and understand your family’s mission you’re ready to build a business mission statement.
When one builds all three mission statements and integrates them in their life it becomes easy to tell what’s important and what you should be doing in your life. When you have developed these statements you can integrate them in everything you do and have real congruence in your life.
What have you done to build a mission statement in your life and business? I would love to hear more about this. Please send me an email at Jpatrick@stage2planning.com.
Josh Patrick
