Why are a vision and mission statement important for a business?
As we have seen with organization direction, it helps make sure that everybody’s on the same page and that they understand the entrepreneur, the CEO – and the goals, desires, and wishes. It helps articulate, engage, and unify stakeholders, both internal and external. And it really represents the basis for making decisions. We’ll make sure that the company is in line with its stated purpose. “When you have that vision, then you know your destination, and it’s just a matter of lining up against it on a day-to-day or moment-to-moment basis. That makes decision-making so much easier.” What’s the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement? I think we make it really simple when we talk with clients about vision and mission statements. The vision statement to us is a statement about what you are when you have achieved success. So, it should be clear, and it should be concise. It should be future-oriented and inspiring. It can be mystical, and it can be spiritual, but it really says what you all know when you are successful. For example, our vision statement is that we are the marketing partner of choice with companies that want to grow and survive in any business environment or any marketplace. The mission will be in alignment with the vision statements. For example, Southwest Airlines’ vision is to become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline. That’s future oriented. Microsoft, at its founding, wanted a computer on every desk and in every home. That’s the future – that shows what success looks like when they have achieved their goals. IKEA is to create a better everyday life for many people. So those are examples of vision statements. And I think that when companies can do that, particularly something that’s very short, but really defines their success, it’s helpful. “I think when business owners are in early stages, or if they get frustrated with where they are, they might try and do something like create a vision statement that says we’re a million-dollar company, or we will sell this many things, and they tie themselves to one way of achieving that vision.” “I like to say that if your vision is monetarily defined, you’re thinking too small. There’s so much more that you can create when you’re futuristic, and you bring in this mystical or spiritual drive to it. You can create something that’s truly inspiring.” The mission statement is something that says why you’re in business, it’s the essence of your company, the products and services that you provide. And you can’t just put it up on your website and not follow a mission statement. You really need to find why it is that you’re in business. Ours is to create results-focused communications content powered by marketing, meaning outreach, and support services to help companies achieve their growth goals. But there are a lot of different companies that have very strong mission statements, too. For example, Google is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and easy. That’s a strong mission statement. It says what they’re in business to do. Who are the key players that need to be involved in creating a vision and/or mission statement for your business? I think everybody should be involved in the process. So, it’s not only those who sit at the CEO table, but marketing, sales, customer service, supply chain, product development people – give everybody an opportunity to contribute their ideas. “When you give people an opportunity to collaborate, they’re more likely to buy into the decisions that are made, especially when it comes to vision and mission statements.” 3 Action Steps
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Did you not just love Casey Moore’s interview on Tuesday about productivity? Her 12 factors about productivity are SPOT ON! And I so appreciated her reminder to practice mindfulness when it comes to boosting your productivity.
It got me thinking. Last week, the first of the basics in our productivity series was time management. And yes, everyone needs time management skills. It’s what gives you balance and keeps your life from being skewed and a little chaotic. But closely related to the ability to manage your time is…the ability to prioritize. In “What Businesses Need to Know Right Now” (Volume 1), I interviewed Scot MacTaggart of Pitchwerks, and he said, “One of the most important secret weapons to be aware of right now is the ability to prioritize – and that’s FREE.” A FREE, SECRET WEAPON sounds good to me – how about you? Unfortunately, when you have your own business, prioritization can be challenging – because it ALL seems important. (Does that sound familiar?) But this week, I want you to take that to-do list, the never-ending one…and I want you to prioritize what’s on it. “Nettie…help me out! Give me a few tips to help me with prioritization!” I GOT YOU! · Create your to-do list. Yes, one big, giant to-do list. A list that has it all. And then break it down into daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals. · Now find the urgent tasks – and separate them from the important ones. Urgent tasks are those that need to get done in order to move forward, avoid missing deadlines, or prevent your business from experiencing negative consequences. Urgent tasks come first. · Then, take your important tasks and look at what value they have for you or your business. High-value tasks move to the top of the list. · If all of your important tasks seem relatively equal in importance, figure out how much effort and attention each of them requires – and start with the one that requires the most. (Knocking off these high effort tasks can be a real motivator!) · Remain flexible. We all know that change happens – and sometimes, it’s out of our control. So, if you experience some changes – know that your priorities may shift – and it’s okay. Readjust your focus and get back to it! All right, who’s ready to make prioritization a focal point this week? Send me a before and after screenshot of your to-do list, and let me see how you handled prioritizing everything! Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy!”
Or is it? When you’re a business owner, it can seem that things never get exactly easy. But maybe they can get easier! And who doesn’t want that? When I designed the Productive Profits System, it was my intention to make not only my life easier but your life easier, too – and that’s why I want to share it with you. The Productive Profits System is a way to leverage your expertise, simplify your business, and maximize your revenue. It’s the system I use – and the system that so many of the people I work with use – and I want you to have it, too. To get you started, I’ve put together a series of three videos (really short videos) that map out how you can get started! Video #1 – What’s Holding You Back from Your Next 6-Figure Income Stream? Video #2 – How to Leverage Your Expertise and Experience Video # 3 – How to Make the Productive Profits System Work for You Who’s ready to make the livin’ a little easier this summer and still have a consistent stream of revenue coming in? Then check out the Productive Profits System today and let me know what you think! Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. Why is it important to take a holistic approach to become more efficient and effective?
Another word for holistic is comprehensive. And you can read books on different aspects of it. But when you step back and see how productivity really works, you’ll find that there are 12 sets of skills, knowledge, and ability – 12 factors – that influence how productive someone can be. It’s not a personality traits kind of thing – it’s these skills, knowledge, and ability. And what that means is, it could be anything from a boundary setting to communication to health. All of this can influence how productive someone can be at any given moment. And if you don’t look at the big picture, you can get stuck trying to fix things that aren’t really the problem. So, I might have a client come to me and say, “I’m disorganized. I need to get my office in shape.” But when we drill down, we find that she never closes her office door. She is doing the work of some of her team members, or she is taking on too many commitments. And it turns out what’s going on is that boundary setting is the problem. And if we can work on that – sort of magically – the office starts to take care of itself. I think productivity is producing the life that you want. And if you’re going to do that, do it the most efficient, fastest way you can. That means finding out what’s really going on, and the holistic approach lets you do that. “Identifying the skills where you need clarity or support should not be seen as failure.” When it comes to productivity, there are 12 factors that are all equally important and all interrelated. They are:
“On days when you are feeling less productive, can you go through this list and think about why that may be the case?” What have you found to be an effective means of boosting productivity for everyone – no matter the industry? I used to say nothing – that there’s not one thing you can do. But now I know that’s not true. And this is a practice that everybody can do starting today. And it will help you because it strengthens every single link in the chain. And that is to practice mindfulness. I think of mindfulness as paying attention deliberately, in the present moment, without opinion. So, it’s awareness of what you’re thinking, feeling, and physical sensations. But instead of having a judgment about them, such as that’s great, or that’s terrible, just be aware, because that gives you the detachment to choose how to act. It strengthens focus. It improves your relationships with others. It helps your decision making, “I like to recommend to my clients to be scientists. I’ve found that just pretending to be a scientist helps. Scientists look at all the data, and they are curious. They ask questions, and they don’t necessarily jump to conclusions – even if they have a hypothesis where the outcome really integrates well. Use mindfulness to bring awareness in an almost scientific way – that doesn’t include judgment.” What’s the difference between coaching and productivity coaching – and what makes it so powerful and effective? I believe 100% in self-help and self-growth. I wrote a book in part so people could just read the book and just go on their own and do their own practice and experiments. But I think there’s something – which I know from personal experience – that’s really powerful about partnering with someone else, as a coach or as a thinking partner. You can reflect on what’s working and what’s not working. With my clients, I’m giving them tools, tricks, ideas; that’s the consulting side. But with coaching, it’s helping them assimilate what’s going to work best, drawing on their inner wisdom, and building effective habits. That’s so much of my role with clients – to learn from doing, finding out what works, and moving towards really becoming all the things you want to be and maybe thinking bigger about who they want to be – by letting go of these ideas and limits that they have. The clients that I work with end up starting to think about themselves differently, too. And some of them say they can hear my voice in their head. But the part that I like about that is it’s the voice that’s telling them to pause, to maybe be more compassionate and objective towards themselves. What they end up getting from productivity coaching is not just how to do things today, but it’s how to learn how to do things going forward. Because I’ll give you tools now, but five years from now, there’s going to be some technology that we’ve never heard of, but you’ll know how to change and how to adapt things to yourself. That’s what productivity coaching does. “Do you have a coach who acts as your “thinking partner”? A coach can help you reflect and clarify what’s working and not working for you – and help you move forward.” 3 Action Steps 1. Take a holistic look at your productivity, knowing that productivity is not a personality trait but a set of 12 skills, knowledge, and abilities. 2. Practice mindfulness as a means to stay in the moment without judgment. 3. Work with a productivity coach to get tools that will move you forward and help you change and adapt. Connect with Casey Moore on LinkedIn or at Casey Moore Inc. Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. “The only way you can stay on top is to remember to touch bottom and get back to basics.” -Shane Black, Film Producer, Director, & Screenwriter.
I don’t know about you, but when things seem to get a little out of whack – whether it be with my business or at home (and by “out of whack,” I mean not heading in the direction I’d like) – I tell myself, “It’s time to get back to basics!” Of course, oftentimes, when we reach the stage where things are a bit haywire, we spend a considerable amount of time trying to right the ship – when it would have been so much simpler to just keep the basics top of mind all along. So…with that in mind, we’re going back to a productivity basic today with: TIME MANAGEMENT. I saw a few of you shudder when you read those two words – which probably means you know time management has become a bit of an issue. It’s okay. If we’re all being 100% honest, there’s probably not one of us who has time management mastered all of the time. But we all know how important it is to us, our family and friends, and our business. Today let’s focus on some time management tips for you and your business – which will, in turn, help you have more time for family and friends and things that don’t revolve around your work.
Are you ready to get back to the basics this week when it comes to time management? Which of these tips are you going to put into play? Let me know (you can reply to this email) your time management plan this week! Please comment below. I would love to hear from you. |
AuthorBeing an entrepreneur and business owner is hard! Once you have your business up and running it's not uncommon to hit a few snags: scalability, staff retention, launching growth projects, getting enough sleep! Archives
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