Vision, Mission, and Culture

Ever hear someone say “Vision, Mission, and Culture” don’t work, or that they had to tune out the “Corporate Speak” at the last departmental meeting? Perhaps they even added something disparaging about leadership’s “culture-building hype.” I’ll bet that you have...because I certainly did in my corporate career.

Or, on the other hand, have you heard what was attributed to management guru Peter Drucker about culture in 2006? He said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

What’s all that got to do with hiring?

Just about every business leader has experienced the need to hire people at some point. Very often, it’s not something they had a plan to do. Not only are they charged with initial hiring, but they are also faced with the ugly word “Turnover”!

Hiring has been a real challenge for the last couple of years...and while it’s improving a bit in some parts of the country and in some industries, it’s still challenging in others.

If you are in a larger company, you might have thought that, at least in the past, the security and benefits of a larger company would insulate you from turnover. What many hiring managers in larger companies have experienced recently is that people would happily jump ship for “any and all” reasons. According to the Gallup organization, it’s because, as a whole, the US workforce (at least 65% or so of them) are completely disengaged from their employer. And a small, but noticeable fraction, are actively seeking “to cause damage” to their employers.

Also per Gallup, small business is a better place for engagement, and reduced sabotage. But the challenge for many owners and leaders in smaller businesses is that, at best, they are able to attract reasonably skilled people for 40 hours a week (maybe), who really aren’t interested in much more than a paycheck, maybe some benefits, but mostly being off on the weekend “in the bass boat fishing.”

And in both cases, what’s really needed are employees who are committed to the success of the business, as much as their leader or the business owner, even if they have no intention of being the CEO or owning their own business. They need employees that have the skill sets and motivation that MAKE the business and the leader/owner successful.

Finding those people is where Vision, Mission, and Culture come in. That’s because the three, when well-structured, executed, AND MODELED from the top and throughout the organization, are part of what convinces potential employees that:

• “This is a company that will grow and permit me to grow with it.”
• “This is an organization that delivers what I want in an organization beyond a paycheck and benefits.”
• “This is a team that respects each other and respects me!”

The Vision, Mission, and Culture triad essentially boils down to WHY, WHAT, and HOW an organization and its people can thrive!

• Vision is the LONG-term destination for the company. It tells people why their efforts matter and is usually something that is much bigger than any one person or set of people.
• Mission is the path that we will follow to reach the Vision. And by “we,” I mean the company itself, it’s people, it’s suppliers, and it’s customers. It’s the “big picture of the philosophy” that drives the company. It can be thought of as what.
• Culture is what binds us together. It defines how we will treat each other, customers, and suppliers, as well as how we will behave towards the entity that is the company. It can be thought of as “what we do ourselves when no one is looking.” It can be thought of as the how.

Enough for today! If you are looking to find out more about Vision, Mission, and Culture I can point you in the right direction...or, we can just have a chat.