Vision & Mission Statements.
Don't yawn. Don't puke. Don't snigger. Don't giggle.
Four decades ago, 25th of May, 1961, JFK addressed Congress in unforgettable terms:
"I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.
No single space project in this period will be more impressive to mankind, or more important for the long-range exploration of space; and none will be so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
We propose to accelerate the development of the appropriate lunar space craft. We propose to develop alternate liquid and solid fuel boosters, much larger than any now being developed, until certain which is superior.
We propose additional funds for other engine development and for unmanned explorations -- explorations which are particularly important for one purpose which this nation will never overlook: the survival of the man who first makes this daring flight.
But in a very real sense, it will not be one man going to the moon-if we make this judgment affirmatively, it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there."
In a subsequent speech at Rice University, the following year, he no less memorably observed:
"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
JFK uses the term Goal in both speeches.
But, despite the relative brevity of both speeches, it's always seemed to me that taken together they represent a comprehensive and compelling Vision: within which we're offered a view of the enduring Mission & Purpose of the USA, have its Core Values and Macro Goals spelled out, or powerfully evoked, on the basis of which the desired Positioning and Cultural / Brand Character of the USA - at its aspired-to-best - are all immediately recognisable.
Further, still within the confines of very few pages, the speeches begin the process of articulating the key actions that would be necessary to pursue the Mission and achieve the Macro Goals.
It can be difficult for those who were not around at the time to fully comprehend the impact of Kennedy's Vision; not just on citizens of America, but on a global audience.
Clear and Compelling. Jaw-droppingly Challenging. Engaging. Inspiring. Focusing. Energising. Innovation-demanding.
It's fashionable in today's era of so-called `accelerated change' to hear mantras such as `Fire! Ready! Aim!' or `Fire! Fire! Fire!'
Cute enough stuff, with serious points underlying them. My personal mantra may not be as cute - but I still think it's closer to where JFK was coming from: Vision! Action! Impact!
So, why am I banging on about Kennedy and Apollo anyway?
Because terms such as Vision, Mission, Core Values, Character & Culture have become debased currency.
They are widely used, even more widely abused and just as likely to provoke sniggers over the water-cooler and yawns in the Boardroom as they are to actually energise and inspire.
That's because so many Vision and Mission Statements are unadulterated pap and / or crap.
They don't pass what caught Dave Young's attention when reviewing `Brand Clout' by Dennis Flynn: The Giggle Test.
The Giggle Test
"One way to validate the effectiveness and relevance of the vision and mission statements is to see if they pass the mustard of The Giggle Test. This means finding out the answer to how your employees are reacting to these statements when you're not in the room. Are they laughing at them in the hallways or exchanging jokes about them in their e-mails? Have the statements created cynicism amongst the troops? Or are they nodding their heads in agreement and endorsing them in their conversations with fellow employees? Passing The Giggle Test is a critical gate in validating the effectiveness of your vision and mission statements. Again, if they don't ring true, if they're not believable and achievable to the employees, then they are useless."
Note that phrase at the end? `Believable and achievable'?
Point 1: Those factors don't even begin to kick in unless an earlier gate has been passed through: Intelligibility! Vision, Mission, Goal...whatever: is it crystal-fugging-clear?
JFK: " This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth."
Google's Mission Statement: "Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
And `our survey said': Crystal clear...with the added - necessary to succeed - ingredient of a very high...`just a minute...shit...how the hell are we gonna gear up (change / innovate / work smarter together) to actually do that?' factor!
Point 2: Source-credibility. `Who said that?'
JFK: The President (CEO) of the United States of America.
GOOGLE: Google's founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin.
Does it sound like them talkin' ? Or some Agency / Consultant speak?
It doesn't matter a flyin' fug if the words are / were written by someone else. Would that CEO tell it like that ?
Do I believe they are serious? Do I believe they have the brains and the balls and the clout to drive everything we do, and impact every way in which we do what we do, to pursue that Vision / Mission successfully?
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