Excellence Tree Journal » Business Excellence

Mission Activation: How to Actually Live Your Mission Statement (Even During Frantic & Uncertain Times)

Dr. Brian Higley — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 07:37:10 +0000

Many organizations, teams and individuals work very hard to develop Mission and Vision Statements - yet almost everyone I speak with believes that they often do not seem to “live” these statements extremely well. Each year, a lot of valuable time and energy go into developing Mission Statements that will quickly be forgotten or ignored in the often frantic day-to-day activities that follow. And - here’s the kicker - most people know that they will not fulfill their Mission Statements even as they spend valuable time developing them! And yet we continue to develop Mission Statements (both personal and professional) even as we recognize deep down that most of them will not be fulfilled very well. What is going on here - and how can we stop wasting valuable time, energy and money developing statements that we know will not be fulfilled?

Motivation and Mission Statements. I believe that the first step in answering the important question above is to get to the bottom of the motivation for creating Mission Statements - and why that motivation for “Mission Creation” rarely translates into “Mission Fulfillment.” Numerous scientific studies show that motivation is often associated with being aware of the rewards of doing something or the costs of failing to do it. The rewards of completing a Mission Statement are obvious and immediate; developing these statements are a great way to get fired up over what we would like to do in the future.

What is sometimes not as apparent (until it is to late) is the often huge price of failing to live our Mission Statements. From wasted money and time to decreased morale and increased cynicism, the effects of being out of alignment with our Missions are far-reaching. For example, many believe that today’s economic situation is just one (major) example of the result of this mis-alignment. How can we stop wasting so much of our precious resources on unfulfilled Mission Statements? After years of research and countless conversations with my colleagues, clients, and other experts in the field, I believe we may have come to a very important answer to this critical question. The reason why so many Mission Statements often wind up wasting valuable resources is that most Missions are not “Activated.”

What is Mission Activation? An Activated Mission Statement (or Vision/Values statement, for that matter) is a statement that has been broken down into the key components that help ensure that day-to-day activity will be aligned with the statement - even during frantic and uncertain times (which are inevitable from time to time, as most people are well aware). Our experience and research over the past decade have revealed some very simple and powerful steps that people can take in order to ensure that their Mission Statements will stay Activated throughout the entire year. I’ve personally seen these steps help teams and individuals of all kinds become strongly aligned with their missions - with powerful, long-lasting, incredibly fulfilling results.

How can you Activate your Mission? For those who would like to know more about Mission Activation, below are listed what we have found to be the 6 steps toward Activating a Mission. As we were identifying these components, we realized that Activating a Mission was very similar to the process of growing a strong, solid, flexible tree. So, we came up with the term “Excellence Tree” to help get these ideas across; a well-maintained Excellence Tree results in a strongly Activated Mission. The Mission Activation steps listed below include thoughts on how each step is related to growing an Excellence Tree:

Check The Soil: Assess current levels of (and potential for) Mission Activation.
Plant & Water Your Tree - Then Regularly Observe its Growth: Strongly align daily activity with the Mission or Vision Statement in clear ways. Then, promote execution by incorporating a communication technology that can allow all stakeholders to view progress in quick, easy ways.
Identify & Pull Weeds: Identify barriers to
Mission Activation - and quickly create SMART Solutions to overcome them.
Prune Your Tree: Break “Mission-Deactivating Silos” by tracking (and rewarding) consensus and cooperation.
Provide Adequate Sunlight: Implement a Mission Activation Reward System (a system that truly increases and maintains Mission-aligned activity).
Create Gardeners: Train others to help plant the tree, pull weeds, prune, and provide their own sunlight to the tree (the mission) across the entire year.

Click here for some brief descriptions of each Mission Activation step listed above - and some pointers on how to implement them to Activate your Mission.

What is the impact of an Activated Mission? Mission Activation takes time, energy, and attention - so why would busy people want to even consider doing this hard work (especially during these particularly tough times)? The short answer is that we have seen Mission Activation drastically change people’s businesses and lives (including our own) in tremendously positive ways! On the other hand, we have all seen (and felt) the incredibly negative effects of organizations and individuals that do not live their Mission Statements. In fact, many believe that these tough times can at least partially be described as a culmination of a lot of un-Activated Missions (more on that, later).

On the other hand, it has been our experience that the organizations, teams and individuals who commit to Mission Activation not only achieve their objectives in more quality ways, they also report feeling better about their lives as a whole. Another interesting effect of Mission Activation: many people associated with teams and individuals that have Activated their Mission Statements tend to want stay with them for long periods of time. People decline incentives like larger paychecks to continue to experience Mission-aligned cultures (what I sometimes refer to as a “Cultures of Sanity”) in a world that can sometimes seem very frenzied, unfair and cynical (and often very scary). Finally, I think Mission Activation also helps more people “get it,” as my colleague John Spence says - or, to truly understand what it takes to be successful and fulfilled over the long haul for more on “getting it,” click here.

If Mission Activation is so great, why are so few Missions actually Activated? This is a great question - and one that is constantly on my mind as I interact with hundreds of people a week who are pursuing their personal and professional goals. This question interested me so much that it was actually the topic of both my Masters Thesis and my Doctoral Dissertation while pursuing my Ph.D. What our research team found was that the difference between those who did things that they knew were good for them and those who simply “wished” they did these things came down to the 5 critical factors. Click here for more on why there is such a large gap between wishing and doing.

What is the cost of NOT Activating a Mission? Very often, a non-activated Mission Statement results in what I call “Frenzied Leadership” - leadership (including self-leadership) that often creates confusion and anxiety. Non Activated missions have other ramifications beyond Frenzied Leadership - including cynicism about the statement and the organization, team or individual that developed it. Change management guru Rick Maurer (and his blog’s visitors) express this cynicism quite effectively in his article entitled “Empty Words and Mission Statements”.

Some closing thoughts on Mission Activation. At our firm, we have observed some very stunning results associated with Mission Activation - from increased productivity and enhanced morale to decreased anxiety and lower levels of disengagement. Unfortunately, we have also found that very few Mission Statement are actually Activated - and the ramifications of this run broad and deep in our businesses, our society and our individual lives. I’ve personally seen Mission Activation solve many of the largest business, social, and personal problems facing us at this critical point in all of our lives. I hope this article will encourage more leaders and individuals to consider Mission Activation as a strategy for business and personal success.

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If this article was helpful to you, please feel free to comment on it below or forward it to someone who you think might be interested in it. You may also wish to visit our site and read more about Excellence Trees. I look forward to hearing from you!

Execution Tip: Think your “Goal-setting Vision”

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 17:00:41 +0000

Good Goal-setting Vision is achieved via balancing manageable/realistic plans with plans that are also meaningful, ambitious and challenging. One indication that this is being attained is a feeling of being challenged to improve regularly (which can result in a feeling of forward-movement and decreased levels of boredom), while avoiding taking on too much challenge at one time (resulting in feelings of being overwhelmed).

If there are feelings of boredom or stagnation, it may be due to taking on too few challenging and/or meaningful goals or objectives. If there are feelings of being overwhelmed, it may be due to too many difficult goals or objectives taken on at once.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of good Goal-setting Vision are fewer instances of feeling either overwhelmed or bored. For instance, if one exhibits good Goal-setting Vision, there will be fewer instances of being overwhelmed by too many goals (or goals that are changed too often) or bored by two few goals (or goals that are not meaningful). Your system indicates strong Goal-setting Vision via a combination of important Objectives and high “Go-Active %” scores (scores of 80 and above) on the Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the left of the Progress/People subtab on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab (Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen, and are displayed as bar graphs).

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

FINAL NOTE: If you were linked to this article by a video or email, please return to that link and proceed with any other instructions that you deem helpful. For more Execution Excellence tips and tools visit our site at: www.excellencetree.com

Execution Tip: Think about your “Goal Clarity”

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:58:18 +0000

Good Goal Clarity is achieved via constant attention to the development of specific, measurable steps toward fulfilling broader objectives. An indication that this is being attained is reduction in two major barriers to Execution Excellence:

fewer instances of individuals wondering what to do and
fewer instances of things getting done that others never wanted to have done.

For instance, if one exhibits Goal Clarity in relation to a desire to complete a project (e.g., “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM”), there is less confusion about what to do up-front and fewer instances of energy being wasted (e.g., Some trash begin taken out after the garbage collectors already came - which means energy is already wasted and more may need to be used to bring the trash back in until next week).

Obviously, such lack of Goal Clarity is a major block to Execution Excellence; it is critical that valuable resources like time, energy and money be focused on getting the most important things done instead of wasted on things that are not valuable (or on having to do things over again).

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of good Goal Clarity are fewer instances of achieving goals that are not easily understandable. For instance, if one exhibits the good Goal Clarity, there will be fewer instances of being confused about what was actually achieved. Your system indicates strong Goal Clarity via goals that all parties understand on your Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab (individual goals can be viewed by clicking on Objectives on the Progress/People subtab).
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about your “Goal Alignment”

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:42:46 +0000

Good Goal Alignment is achieved via constant attention to how well the achievement of your clear goals (the specific, measurable steps toward fulfilling broader Objectives) actually bring about the outcomes you are looking to experience. An indication of good Goal Alignment is reduction in two major barriers to Execution Excellence:

fewer instances of individuals “working hard” or “trying” without actually helping toachieve Objectives and
fewer instances of wasted time, energy and revenue spent on pursuing unimportant goals (goals that are not powerfully aligned with Objectives in observable ways).

For example, if one exhibits Goal Alignment in relation to an Objective like: “Maintain an environment of comfort” via goals aligned with that Objective (e.g., “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM”), there is often: (a) less time spent thinking about all the barriers to doing so (e.g., How to avoid taking out the trash by looking very busy all the time) and (b) less energy spent on goals not aligned with the overall objective (e.g., taking the trash out the day after the due date, then telling others “I really tried hard, but couldn’t do it.”).

Obviously, such lack of Goal Alignment is a major block to Execution Excellence; it is critical that time, energy and money be focused on doing what actually helps deliver on Objectives (rather than on simply identifying all the barriers to getting things done and/or trying to get others to affirm that trying hard is the same as actually contributing to Objectives).

Execution Tip: Think about your “Activity Clarity”

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:37:48 +0000

Good Activity Clarity can be extremely helpful when SMART Goals are not being achieved regularly due to confusion about how to do so. Activity Clarity is achieved by breaking down SMART Goals into extremely small tasks that are either “done” or “not done.” There is no way to say that these small activities are “almost done;” they are either completed or not completed (they are “Yes-No Activities”).

For example, one Yes-No Activity necessary for the achievement of the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” might be: “Pick up the trash in one waste basket in a particular room” another Yes-No Activity might be: “Put the trash on the curb.” These small activities are Yes-No Activities because they are either done or not done. An answer to the question: “Is the trash currently on the curb?” can only properly be answered in two ways: (a) “yes, it is” or (b) “no, it is not.” The ability to break SMART Goals down into Activity Clarity is a critical skill associated with Execution Excellence. On the other hand, inability to do so is one of the most powerful contributors to the Execution Crisis.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of high levels of Activity Clarity results in fewer instances of individuals wondering how, specifically, to achieve SMART Goals (questions like, “How do I achieve this goal?”). For instance,if one exhibits Activity Clarity in relation to the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM,” there is less confusion about Yes-No Activities related to goal achievement (for example,picking up the trash in all rooms before 8:30 AM, then putting it down on the curb before 9 AM).
Those with strong Activity Clarity on The Mission Fulfillment System tend to have high Personal “Go-Active %” scores (scores of 80 and above) on the Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab on the upperleft-hand side of the main Progress Tab. Personal Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen on the Progress/People subtab, and are displayed as bar graphs. Low Personal Go-Active % scores could indicate a need for more Activity Clarity.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about your “Activity Alignment”

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:30:27 +0000

Good Activity Alignment is achieved via constant attention to how well the completion of simple “Yes-No” Activities (small activities that are either “done or not done”) help with the achievement of your SMART Goals (the specific, measurable steps toward fulfilling broader Objectives). An indication of good Activity Alignment is reduction in two major barriers to Execution Excellence:

fewer instances of individuals “feeling busy” with a lot of activities without actually helping to achieve their SMART Goals and
fewer instances of wasted time, energy and revenue spent on daily activity that does not lead to goal achievement (Yes-No Activities that are not powerfully aligned with SMART Goal achievement in observable ways).

For example, if one exhibits Activity Alignment in relation to an SMART Goal like: “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” via Yes-No Activities aligned with that SMART Goal (e.g. “Empty the trash in one waste basket in a particular room”), there is often: (a) less time spent thinking about all the barriers to doing so (e.g., How to avoid taking emptying a trash can by focusing on other activities) and (b) less energy spent on activities not aligned with the SMART Goal in question (e.g., making the case that emptying one trash can is impossible or unfair so others support the idea of avoiding the activity).

Obviously, such lack of Activity Alignment is a major block to Execution Excellence; it is critical that time, energy and money be focused on Yes-No Activities that actually help achieve SMART Goals (rather than on simply identifying all the barriers to doing so and/or trying to get others to affirm that helpful activities are not possible/reasonable to perform).

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of high levels of Activity Alignment are fewer instances of feeling as though SMART Goals are impossible to achieve on deadline. For instance, if one exhibits the ability to align their activities with “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM,” there is less energy wasted on wondering if it can be done and more focus on how to address possible barriers to doing so. Your system indicates strong Activity Alignment via high Personal “Go-Active %” scores (scores of 80 and above) on your Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab (Personal Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen, and are displayed as bar graphs).
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about how to “Overcome Barriers” on your path to Execution Excellence.

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 16:08:22 +0000

The ability to overcome a variety of barriers blocking Execution Excellence can be extremely helpful when SMART Goals are not being achieved regularly. This can be doneby “flipping” barriers into Objectives that can be achieved as part of your Mission.

For example, one barrier to the achievement of the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” might be: “I hate taking out the trash.” This barrier can be “flipped” into the Objective: “Increase enjoyment in relation to goals I do not initially look forward to achieving,” with a SMART Goal like “Ask my favorite person to come with me when I take out the trash,” or “Listen to enjoyable music while taking out the trash.” The ability to quickly flip barriers into Objectives is a critical skill associated with Execution Excellence. On the other hand, inability to do so is one of the most powerful contributors to the Execution Crisis. For an article outlining some of the most common categories of barriers to Execution Excellence, click here.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of high levels of Overcoming Barriers are fewer instances of feeling as though Objectives or SMART Goals are impossible to achieve on deadline. For instance, if one exhibits the ability to Overcome Barriers in relation to the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM,” there is less energy wasted on wondering if it can be done and more focus on how to address possible barriers to doing so. Your system indicates strong abilities to Overcome Barriers via high (scores of 80 and above) Personal “Go-Active %” scores on your Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab (Personal Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen, and are displayed as bar graphs).

FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about the impact of “On-Time Completion” on Execution Excellence

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:51:21 +0000

The ability to get things done on time is a critical component of Execution Excellence that is often ignored. It begins with a commitment to setting reasonable deadlines (rather than unreasonable ones - or failing to set any), then following through with those carefully set deadlines. Indeed, because the “R” in SMART Goal stands for “Realistic,” no goal is truly SMART without having a reasonable deadline.

For example, the goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” is only truly SMART if it can be accomplished by that time on a regular basis. If the goal is set knowing that this time is not reasonable on a weekly basis, it will not only affect the current goal’s deadline, but it often also affects commitment to other deadlines. If one deadline is treated as though it does not matter, it becomes much more acceptable to miss other deadlines. This can quickly spread the Execution Crisis throughout your life and the lives of those around you. The ability to commit to (and follow through with) reasonable deadlines is a critical skill associated with Execution Excellence. On the other hand, inability to do so is another powerful contributor to the Execution Crisis.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of high levels of On-Time Completion is a high Personal “Go-Active %” score on your Progress/People subtab. This subtab is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab (Personal Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen, and are displayed as bar graphs). For instance, if one consistently achieves the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” on time, that person’s Go-Active % scores are more likely to be at 80+ percent (indicating Execution Excellence). Obviously, a lack of On-Time Completion is a major block to Execution Excellence. It is critical that people be able to follow through on commitments to themselves and others on deadline; an inability to do so contributes greatly to The Execution Crisis.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about the impact of “Quality” on Execution Excellence

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 15:33:41 +0000

Another critical component of Execution Excellence is the ability to not only complete SMART Goals on deadline, but to also do this with true Quality on a regular basis. The ability to do so begins with a commitment to Quality, is strengthened by becoming clear about what Quality looks like (with others if you are working on something that includes other stakeholders) and is further fortified by persistence until the job is done extremely well (rather than giving up before true Quality is achieved).

For example, the goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” is more likely to be achieved in Quality ways if the person in charge of this goal is:

committed to doing a Quality job,
asks any others who are also involved for their ideas on true Quality and
continues to develop a way in which to achieve the goal in Quality ways until almost all parties are truly satisfied (please note the “almost all parties” in the last sentence; one cannot please all the people all the time).

On the other hand, if the goal is pursued without these critical components, it is less likely to be completed with true Quality. Furthermore, if one such goal is completed at low levels of Quality, it becomes much more acceptable to achieve others goals with low Quality. Failure to achieve with true Quality can quickly spread the Execution Crisis throughout your life and the lives of those around you (in the form of multiple revisions and/or the need for complete”do-overs”). The ability to deliver true Quality is a critical skill associated with spreading Execution Excellence. On the other hand,inability to do so is another powerful contributor to the Execution Crisis.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: A common indicator of high levels of Quality is a combination of (a) more SMART Goals achieved that one is truly proud of and/or excited about and (b) fewer instances of time- and energy-sapping revisions or do-overs. For instance, if one consistently achieves the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” with true Quality, that person is more likely to be proud of his work and to hear fewer requests for doing his work differently next time or redoing it now (indicating Execution Excellence). Obviously, a lack of Quality is a major block to Execution Excellence. It is critical that people be able to achieve their SMART Goals with true Quality; an inability to do so contributes greatly to The Execution Crisis.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.

Execution Tip: Think about the impact of “Self-Monitoring” on Execution Excellence.

Dr. Brian Higley — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:58:44 +0000

Another critical component of Execution Excellence is the ability to follow-through with commitments without needing others to “check in” on one’s progress. The ability to Self-Monitor begins with a commitment to being reliable, is strengthened by the ability to set truly SMART Goals and is fortified further by the ability to remind oneself of one’s commitments regularly (rather than depending on others to do so). Specific goals (the “S” in SMART) help one to be very clear on commitments before they are accepted.

The achievement of goals related to these commitments becomes more realistic (the “R” in SMART) when there are constant reminders of those commitments readily available. For example, the goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” is more SMART if the person who committed to this goal is clear about what to do and reminds himself to do this on deadline every week. On the other hand, if the goal is committed to without these critical components, it is less likely to happen on a regular basis. Furthermore, if one such goal is overlooked, it becomes much more acceptable to overlook other goals related to other commitments.

Failure to Self-Monitor can quickly spread the Execution Crisis throughout your life and the lives of those around you. The ability to monitor oneself is a critical skill associated with spreading Execution Excellence. On the other hand, inability to do so is another powerful contributor to the Execution Crisis.

NOTE TO THOSE USING THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM A common indicator of high levels of Self-Monitoring is a combination of: (a) fewer follow-up calls, emails or questions from others about your SMART Goal progress, which can take up others’ time and energy and (b) a high Personal “Go-Active %” score on your Progress/People subtab, which is located to the right of the Progress/Items subtab (on the upper left-hand side of the main Progress Tab). Personal Go-Active % scores are located on the far right-hand side of the screen, and are displayed as bar graphs. For instance, if one consistently achieves the SMART Goal “Take out all trash every Wednesday before 9AM” on time,that person’s Go-Active % score is more likely to be at 80+ percent (indicating Execution Excellence). Obviously, a lack of Self-Monitoring is a major block to Execution Excellence. It is critical that people be able to monitor their own SMART Goal achievement; an inability to do so contributes greatly to The Execution Crisis.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT ON THE MISSION FULFILLMENT SYSTEM: Click here to for more information and click here to sign up.