After establishing vision + mission + values as the solid core of a business, we explored the first leg of the stool: the vision — a vivid and detailed picture of success at a chosen point in the future. Coincidentally, Zingerman's last week rolled out their 2032 vision. Their visioning guru, Ari Weinzweig wrote about it in his weekly email, showing how powerful a good vision is — how it can guide an organization to greatness. It’s an inspiring read.

Now, we turn to the second leg of the stool: the mission.

What’s a mission?

Not all experts agree on the distinction between vision, mission, and values, and in some ways it doesn’t matter. If an enterprise takes the time to align on what they do, why they do it, and how they’re going to conduct themselves, that’s what matters. We’re using definitions from Jim Collin’s and Zingerman’s work.

The mission or purpose of an organization is its True North – an ideal continuously pursued that’s aspirational and unchanging. Jim Collins says it answers the question: what are we on the face of this earth to do other than to make money? Zingerman’s says it answers four questions: What do we do? Why do we do it? Who do we do it for? And, who are we?

Some exemplars from organizations who have delivered on their mission for decades:

American Red Cross The American Red Cross prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​

Ben & Jerry’s is founded on & dedicated to a sustainable corporate concept of linked prosperity. Our Economic Mission asks us to manage our Company for sustainable financial growth. Our Social Mission compels us to use our Company in innovative ways to make the world a better place. Our Product Mission drives us to make fantastic ice cream - for its own sake.

NAACP Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

Patagonia At Patagonia, we appreciate that all life on earth is under threat of extinction. We aim to use the resources we have—our business, our investments, our voice and our imaginations—to do something about it.

Southwest Airlines Connect People to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.

TED Our Mission: Spread ideas

A mission or purpose needs to be true, lived, sticky, and meaningful. It’s not a tagline or a trendy idea. Leaders must walk the talk, or a mission doesn’t stand a chance of aligning the organization. And, it needs to permeate every crack and crevice of an enterprise. One effective way of accomplishing this is to have functions, teams, and even projects within an organization create their own mission or purpose in service to the enterprise mission. Super glue.

What’s your own mission?

Some of us are born knowing what we’re here to do and how we want to live our lives. Others of us have no idea (or don’t even wonder about it) after decades of life. The rest of us are somewhere in between. While it’s pretty much universally accepted that an organizational mission is a must-have, a personal purpose or mission is controversial — some argue that people don’t necessarily have one purpose, or their purpose can change over a lifetime.

A sense of mission or purpose can help us live intentional, meaningful, and joyful lives. That said, over-thinking it or hand-wringing over it is counterproductive. There are a few tools that can help us uncover our purpose:

The River of Life is a reflection tool that can shine light on big events or decisions in our lives that reveal the purpose we have pursued.

Designing Your Life offers several self-data mining tools — Lifeview, Workview, and the Good Time Journal — to unearth our purpose.

The Japanese notion of Ikigai, “reason for being” can help. It’s the intersection of: what do you love to do + what are you good at + what does the world need + what can you be paid for? (You can drop the last one if it doesn’t apply)

And a fun and quick TEDx talk from Adam Lipzig, Your life purpose in 5 minutes reveals a lot!

Spoiler alert

Whether organizational or personal, a mission or purpose is about serving others, the greater good. And as we sow, we reap the benefits of our efforts. We see this when businesses flip their thinking from profits first, to a focus on people, planet and great products. Profits will ensue, creating a naturally occurring wealth circulation system.

I recently purchased a house, and Justin didn't just inspect it for major red flags, he was exceptionally thorough, tackled the job with gusto, and patiently explained plumbing and electrical issues in a way I could understand. In response to an email I sent thanking him, he replied, “Thank you, I like to think it’s more than a job and my way I can make a positive impact for people.” Bingo.

Next up: Solid core part 4, values

Thoughts are welcome