For much of my career, I was involved in leading an organization and it’s leaders in a critical strategic planning process that including creating a mission and vision statement. Research, along with hundreds of leadership books will tell you that investing in the creation of a mission and vision provide the pathway and guiding principles as to why the organization exists and where it is going. The process is often simply described as the mission defining the “what” and the vision defining the “why”.
More specifically –
The Mission Statement is the reason for existing. It should describe what the organization is, what it does and for whom. It should be used as a filter for the organization’s initiatives and programs. It should be the standard for how the organization’s decisions are evaluated. The mission is the organization’s defining purpose.
The Vision Statement is the clear, compelling description of where the organization is headed. The goal of a vision statement is to inspire and motivate those within the organization to make a difference in achieving the vision.
This work often includes the development of Core Values or Core Behaviors which further define the ethical standards of the organization. An organization may, or may not have leaders and employees whose personal values mirror that of the organization. Therefore, it is critical to define what each core value or behavior is and what it looks like when being demonstrated.
I have definitely seen how investing in the creation of a Mission and Vision can make a big difference in what the organization accomplishes and as importantly, how they go about accomplishing their objectives.
If this work is so important to an organization, have you considered that it should be just as important for each one of us? I imagine we’ve all felt off-center, or even lost at times, wondering what our purpose in life is and just what God has created and called us to be? Or, more frequently, we may find ourselves at an important fork-in-the-road and have real angst trying to decide which is the right way to go?
A more recent realization that I’ve had is that there is a key preliminary step to writing a personal mission and vision statement. That would be to consider and select what your Life Verse from the Bible is. My husband actually has a Life Verse, although I’m not sure he refers to it as that. He will tell anyone who asks that he has a verse that is his favorite and one that guides and challenges him throughout his life. It is:
…For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48 King James Version (KJV).
Do you have a “Life Verse” or a verse that has truly shaped your life? If so, I’d love to know what it is and how you use it.
In full transparency, I do not have a Life Verse, so that is on my list this week. My family will tell you for me to identify a single favorite anything (even within a specific category) is a challenge for me. But I will hunker down and do this, as I totally believe in the importance of doing so. If you don’t happen to have one either, please join me on this journey and then share what you’ve discovered through the process!
We all certainly have the Bible, as the inspired Word of God to guide our thinking and our lives. It does seem however, to help hone in on one verse that we can commit to memory, share with others, hang on the wall and use to inspire us each and every day. It also serves as an important guiding principle when we face that fork-in-the-road, or perhaps a very big decision, or even a small one. A simple, yet compelling reminder of who we are and why we are here.
I ran across a quote from Frederick Buechner, a writer and theologian who said this…
The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.
Don’t ever underestimate how important you and your purpose are to those close to you and even to those you have yet to meet.
Phillips, Craig and Dean have a song titled, “I Need You“. Part of the lyrics say…
Oh, Lord, be my guide
Give real meaning to my life
Lead my steps, change my ways
Put your purpose in this place
I promise you, if we do our part, He will for certain do His!