There are many components involved in any organization’s success. At the top of the heap is having a compelling, memorable mission and vision. Without one, it’s difficult for owners, managers, and their teams to know where they are headed, make the right decisions on how to use resources (i.e., time, money, and emotional labor), recruit and retain the right employees, and even know when to say no to an opportunity.

Every consultant has a different definition of mission and vision. Here is what our team at The Mettise Group thinks is most effective.

• Mission: What you do every day and who you do it for.
• Vision: What the world looks like when you have achieved your mission.

Why does my organization need a mission and vision?

Your mission and vision are the foundation of your organization, and ultimately provide a roadmap to success. Mettise’s flagship product is our Playbook, because it is what our clients use to drive their business down the field to the goal line. The Playbook allows everyone in an organization to be on the same page and understand how what they do every day contributes to the success – or failure – of an organization.

It also creates common organizational goals, which allows everyone to be laser-focused on executing those goals, and empowers managers to create individual goals for their employees that tie to organizational goals. That results in an aligned organization, where everyone is running in the same direction and where expectations are clear and meaningful and actually contribute to the success of the organization.

Mettise loves helping our clients create a few clear performance metrics around their goals, to help them ensure they are focusing on the right things. These metrics can center on sales, accounts receivable, or customer satisfaction – it really depends on the company and their secret sauce. Often, at least a few of those metrics are centered around Marketing and Communications. A strong mission and vision is a good jumping off point for creating consistent messaging that everyone at a company can use with each other and with external customers. If an organization is not clear on what it does and why, marketing and communications are often disjointed and ineffective.

We sometimes hear marketing doesn’t work for us, but more often than not, the problem with marketing comes down to the company not having a clear strategy to begin with, much less a marketing plan correlated with that strategy. Jumping into and spending money on marketing tactics without a clear overall strategy is a lot like sending your quarterback onto the field without a play in mind. You don’t want him running wildly all over the field, not sure if he is throwing the ball or to whom, because that is not effective. Think about your marketing and communications objectives in the same way. Know your mission, know your objectives, know your metrics, and then a solid marketing and communications plan can be an effective part of your effort to cross the goal line.

Shelley Cadamy is a management consultant, strategist, & adviser who has built, turned around, or transformed organizations and programs for 25 years. She is the leader of Mettise Group’s Tulsa office, and a valued Crossroads partner.