The Healthy Organization: Developing a Core Focus
This article is a part of a four-part series that answers the question: “How do I develop a healthy organization?” This is the first installment. I encourage you to read them in order for greatest impact:
Article 1 / 4: The Healthy Organization: Developing a Core Focus
Article 2 / 4: The Healthy Organization: Cultivating a Thriving Culture
Article 3 / 4: The Healthy Organization: Integrating Efficient Rhythms [Release Date: 9/4/23]
Article 4 / 4: The Healthy Organization: Implementing Effective Tools [Release Date: 9/11/23]
Imagine opening the London Times in 1913, and stumbling upon this intriguing ad:
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold. Safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.”
Though it might not be an advertisement that would compel most to respond, 27 individuals did—individuals who were right fit—embarking on a journey to cross Antarctica via the South Pole in December of 2014.
Regrettably, our invitations often lack this kind of impact. Instead of vividly outlining where we are headed, we tend to overemphasize the “how.” This tendency produces a detrimental lack of focus in our organizations.
A healthy organization thrives on core focus—the development of vision, mission and core values. For any leader, this is the foremost task.
Leaders aiming to cultivate a central focus for their organizations should answer three key questions:
“Where are we headed?” (your vision statement)
“How do we get there?” (your mission statement)
“How do we behave?” (your core values)
Without answers to these three essential questions, focus evaporates, chaos prevails, and the intended destination is never reached.
Develop a Vision Statement
Unveiling a well-defined vision statement is the most crucial duty for a leader. A complete leader casts compelling vision—a dream with an invitation that answers the question “Where are we headed?”
An authentic vision statement is not something that you can copy from a friend, or discover online. It is likely etched into your heart. It is what gets you out of bed each morning. Chances are, you already know it; you merely need to articulate it.
Do this: Go to your happy place (undisturbed office or a serene outdoorsy nook), and list 25 potential vision statements. If you have a leadership team, involve them too, encouraging them to generate their own list. Once ideas are on the table, use these 12 filters to develop a top-tier vision statement:
Measurable: Can we state when it is finished?
Visionary: Is it destination based? (“where,” not “how”)
Achievable: Can it be done? (in your wildest dreams)
Authentic: Is this true to who we are as an organization?
Aspirational: Does it express the type of organization we want to become?
Audacious: Does it cause people to say “wow”?
Intriguing: Does it cause people to say “tell me more”?
Solution-Focused: Does it allude to a problem to be solved?
Concise: Can you state it in 10 words or less?
Coherent: Can your team and customers understand it?
Memorable: Do people remember it?
Guiding: Does it help the team move in one direction?
Develop a Mission Statement
Once you have your vision statement, move toward crafting a mission statement. A vision statement answers “where are we headed?” and a mission statement answers “How do we get there?” The sequence is critical; until the destination is known, you can’t uncover the path.
A mission statement should answer the following questions:
Who are we?
What value do we offer?
Whom do we serve?
How do we do this?
Why do we do this?
This might seem simple. It is. These questions simply extend the narrative of the vision statement. While the vision hovers at an elevated 40,000-foot altitude, the mission brings us to 5,000 feet, enabling a clearer view of the ground. The potency of a remarkable mission statement lies in its simplicity, which hinges on a world-class vision statement.
Develop Core Values
Core values, in turn, answer the question: “How do we behave?” The vision and mission statements will attract many people—your core values help you to sort through them and find the right ones.
Distinct core values deliver several benefits:
Recruitment: They facilitate informed hiring decisions.
Retention: They nurture a sense of camaraderie, prompting team members to stay.
Development: They assist in evaluating existing employees.
Accountability: They foster mutual accountability within the team.
Team-Building: They signal team misfits (or the need for positional adjustments).
Guidance: They guide decision-making.
To create a list of core values, follow this simple process either alone, or with your leadership team:*
Create a roster of people who (if you could hire them) would help you to dominate your industry.
Pinpoint the qualities of characteristics of each individual
Identify the common threads connecting these individuals.
Dive deeper to define what core traits are behind these threads..
Transform these traits into 3-6 core values (exceeding this range makes memorization difficult)
Conclusion
For your organization’s health, nothing surpasses the development of a core focus. Vision. Mission. Core Values. Without these pillars, disengagement and attrition are in your future—unfavorable outcomes for everyone. Just as a courageous group embraced a hazardous journey to Antarctica, organizations thrive when united by a vivid vision, mission, and core values that draws the right people, and compels them toward a single destination.
*Thanks to Gino Wickman for introducing me to this process in his iconic book, Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business.