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What to include when writing a great Personal Mission Statement?
When writing a Mission Statement you should:
- draft a hand-written or typed out paragraph
- describe your best characteristics and how you express them
- have specific, measurable outcomes
- have a deadline -- for example, December 31st.
A Personal Mission Statement that is poorly written by the above criteria.
"I aspire to be the very best in my field at what I do. I will make a
habit of giving more than is expected. I will strive to understand others
and deliver the highest level of service. I will have a career with the highest
ethical standards. I will always be honest and forthright in all of my dealings."
This example of a Mission Statement is too general -- it doesn't
explain the person's unique qualities, has no goal or deadline and could apply to
just about anyone drawing a paycheck.
Q: How do I go about creating my Personal Mission Statement?
A: A Mission Statement is defined as having goals and a deadline.
This is opposed to the notion that a Mission Statement is just a bunch of flowery,
general phrases like, "I will be the best producer I can be." It's no
wonder that a lot of people have this type of Mission Statement sitting in their
desk drawer!
A much more powerful Mission Statement would state:
“My purpose is to help my company double sales this year. I plan on accomplishing
this goal by devoting one hour a week to learning a new skill in sales and negotiating
offers, and then applying what I’ve learned to the deals I’m currently
involved in with my company. If I do this faithfully, in one year from now, I will
advance in my career because my ability to increase sales for the company I work
for will be more valuable than it is now.”
Perhaps the best example of a public Mission Statement was made back in
1960, when John F. Kennedy, referring to the U.S. space program, said that we would
put a man on the moon by the end of the decade — a clear goal with a specific
timeline for its achievement. And, despite enormous challenges, by mid-1969,
Neil Armstrong had taken that "one large step for mankind."
Anyone can easily create a Mission Statement—whether it’s a
Company Mission Statement or a Personal Mission Statement. We at Nightingale-Conant
Corporation (the world leader in motivational audio programs since 1960) have developed
a free online Build My Mission Statement process
at the following site:
Examples of a well written Personal Mission Statement using this process.
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Example Business Mission Statement:
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"My purpose is to express my intelligence, creativity and people skills by
continually learning and applying new techniques, by finding unique solutions to
my company's problems and by building winning relationships with my staff to create
a new customer service program, a 360-degree employee evaluation system, full computer
literacy, and at least $95,000 in salary and bonuses by this date one year from
today."
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Example Sales Mission Statement:
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"My purpose is to express my persistence, sales expertise and dynamic personality
by prospecting like a bulldog, by applying my extensive sales knowledge to exceed
my clients' expectations and by building a powerful network of contacts to create
15 new corporate accounts, a steady flow of referral and renewal business, full
technological competence, and at least $150,000 in net commissions by this date
one year from today."
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Example Customer-Service Mission Statement:
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"My purpose is to express my commitment to quality, perseverance and business
savvy by insuring my customers always get the best, by keeping on track with my
goals and by staying on top of the latest industry trends to create an ever increasing
customer base, a new customer incentive program, a monthly business development
meeting with my associates and at least $1.5 million in gross revenue by this date
one year from today."
Q: Why is it so important to have a Personal Mission Statement?
A: The highest achievers in any field view themselves as
self-employed. They have the attitude that they run their own business, even
if they are affiliated with a major corporation. And so they develop a sense
of “mission” about their career, taking a proactive approach to create
the results they want. And their Mission Statement guides them.
This is in contrast with "average" people, who view themselves as employees
and react to the ups and downs of the economy. Top producers take charge.
They take full responsibility for fulfilling their mission, regardless of market
conditions. They realize that they can't wait until external factors, like
the marketplace, get better ... but that THEY must get better if they intend to
achieve their goals.
Which group do you want to be in -- the top 3% of achievers or the 97% of "average"
people? Your Personal Mission Statement and clearly defined goals with timelines
attached are the difference. Start now by creating your
Mission Statement online using Nightingale.com's
free online Build My Mission Statement process.
Q: What are some simple steps to goal setting after creating
a Mission Statement?
A: You must base your goals upon your Mission Statement.
If you've created your Mission Statement according to the process above, you'll
now have "big" goals to achieve by one year from today. From there,
you'll need to break them down into quarterly, monthly and even weekly goals.
Stephen Covey has a great quote
in his book, 7 Habits
of Highly Effective People. In it, he says: "If you don't set
your goals based upon your Mission Statement, you may be climbing the ladder of
success only to realize, when you get to the top, you're on the WRONG BUILDING."
Amen!
Now, start today, by creating your Personal Mission Statement and set your quarterly,
monthly, and weekly goals accordingly.
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