Mission Statement and Standards

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” ~Benjamin Franklin           

People with a developed and clear mission statement and established defined standards that are both observable and measureable have a greater chance for success that people without plans. Dr. Robert Schuller, the Founder of the former Crystal Cathedral built on Benjamin Franklin’s quote by teaching, ‘failing to plan is planning to fail’.

Occasionally, we should have a conversation with ourselves to determine if we are on task to accomplish our goals. A practical approach begins with setting aside time to examine whether or not we are accomplishing the goals of our mission.

Establishing our personal mission statement with a set of standards to accomplish our mission can prove to be a valuable asset. A mission statement and standards provide a guide that can be assessed regular to monitor whether or not we are meeting our own standards.

By definition, a mission statement is a clear declaration of the intentional and on purpose activity of a company, organization, or individual to achieve established and defined goals. The late Peter Drucker, non- profit guru asserted a mission statement should be no longer than one clear sentence. More than one sentence suggests a lack of mission clarity. Drucker was an Austrian-born American management consultant, educator, and author, whose writings contributed to the philosophical and practical foundations of the modern business corporation.

Drucker's books, plus his scholarly and popular articles explored how humans are organized across the business, government, and non-profit sectors of society. He is one of the best-known and most widely influential thinkers and writers on the subject of management theory and practice. His writings have predicted many of the major developments of the late twentieth century, including privatization and decentralization; the rise of Japan to economic world power; the decisive importance of marketing; and the emergence of the information society with its necessity of lifelong learning.

            I am sharing my mission statement and samples from my set of standards. My mission statement follows.

  

            Mission Statement: My mission is to help women, men, and children heal from their hurts and prepare for love.

Standards: Standards to follow establish and identify the activity I commit to the accomplishment of to achieve my mission. Remember that an identified standard must be measurable and observable in time. My examples follow.

Standard Number 1 - I will get up at 5 AM every morning.

Standard Number 2 - I will spend 30 minutes quiet time alone as soon as I get up.

Standard Number 3 - I consult my daily planner for the day's plan.

Standard Number 4 - I will shower daily at 630 AM.

Standard Number 5 - I will eat breakfast for 7 AM

Standard Number 6 -            I will read for 30 minutes at 8 AM.

Standard Number 7 - I will walk for 30 minutes at 830 AM

Standard Number 8 - I will engage clients for 4 hours 9 AM.

Standard Number 9 - I will review my day and checklist standards met at 9 PM.

Standard Number 10 - I will be in bed by 10 PM.

            With an established checklist at hand, monitor your daily activity. If standards consistently not met, adjustments may be in order. The path to success is to work the plan and make adjustment as necessary to stay on track to accomplish goals.  I am not suggesting this will be easy especially if you have never worked this process. I am clearly saying to you that with a mission statement and standards for achieving your goals, your chances for success are exponentially greater than they would be without a plan. 

            If you would value help designing and defining your mission statements and developing your standards, email me at info@oscarcrawfordmedia.com.

            What we sow together, we grow together.