by Mark Brigman
The vision element addresses the company’s:
1) vision
2) mission
3) core values
Your Company Vision
Jim Collins and Jerry Porras co-authored the book Built to Last. They conducted an intensive six-year research study evaluating common characteristics of companies that achieved greatness for an extended period of decades. Porras calls vision the “core driver of enduring organizational greatness” and claims that every single company that has achieved long-term greatness had a strong and meaningful company vision that its employees knew and believed in.
A company’s vision is its long-term, finish line goal that organizational leaders describe by metaphorically “painting a picture” of what the company is trying to accomplish. A company vision appeals to the emotions and inspires people to want to join the cause and contribute to its accomplishment. Collins and Porras call a company’s vision statement “the big hairy audacious goal.”
Setting a meaningful company vision is an effective way to inspire employees and engage their sense of internal purpose. Many studies suggest that a key reason why people leave jobs is not due to money, but rather a lack of a sense of purpose and meaning. A company’s vision should provide a clear, motivating, and inspirational mental image of what ultimate success looks like for your organization.
I am a firm believer in “taking my own medicine.” Before I ever hire an employee, I feel compelled to identify my company’s vision. I must admit that I made some slight adjustment to the words over the course of time, but here is the vision statement that we have posted in our office:
Vision of Fidelis One:
To become the most high-value strategic partner of each of our clients and to set the standard of excellence by which all other professional services organizations are measured.
I am not sure if it was the time that I spent in the Marines or just my business DNA, but I am obsessed with providing outstanding customer service to my clients. In the end, businesses only survive if they provide value. But rather than just survive, I want to see businesses that I work with thrive and accomplish amazing feats. This means that we must commit to being the absolute best at what we do, and we must separate ourselves from other firms and set a new standard of value and excellence for our clients.
There is no right or wrong vision statement for a company. In the end, as long as the vision statement provides a mental image of what your company is striving to accomplish and it inspires your employees and key partners to support your cause, then it is effective. Vision statements are as diverse as the companies they represent. Below are two examples of company vision statements. To prove my point about the diversity of vision statements, I want to share an example of a long statement and a short statement.
Company: Apple
Vision: We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products and that’s not changing. We are constantly focusing on innovating. We believe in the simple not the complex. We believe that we need to own and control the primary technologies behind the products that we make, and participate only in markets where we can make a significant contribution. We believe in saying no to thousands of projects, so that we can really focus on the few that are truly important and meaningful to us. We believe in deep collaboration and cross-pollination of our groups, which allow us to innovate in a way that others cannot. And frankly, we don’t settle for anything less than excellence in every group in the company, and we have the self- honesty to admit when we’re wrong and the courage to change. And I think regardless of who is in what job those values are so embedded in this company that Apple will do extremely well.
Company: Life is Good (clothing brand)
Vision: Spreading the power of optimism
Company: Barry-Wehmiller (heavy equipment manufacturer)
Vision: Use the power of business to build a better world
Apple has the longest vision statement that I have ever seen, and I think Life is Good may have the shortest. What is important is that the employees buy in to the beliefs of the company and they are emotionally invested to help the company accomplish its aspirations. Whether it takes 166 words or five words to accomplish this goal is irrelevant.
Your Company Mission
A company’s mission is their “why.” A company’s mission statement, also referred to as a company’s purpose, should appeal to the emotions of everyone who hears it and should inspire action and compel people to want to support your beliefs.
Success in business eventually comes down to our ability to influence action, right? Whether we are trying to get our employees to perform, partnering companies to deliver, or encouraging customers to buy, in the end, our success depends on our ability to influence action.
Politicians and preachers are absolute masters at this craft. They are able to get people emotionally vested to join a great cause and do it with genuine authenticity—not for financial gain. When you think of Martin Luther King Jr., what words come to mind? Of course, “I have a dream…” In 1963, long before cell phones, email, Facebook and Twitter, he was able to amass more than 250,000 people to Washington D.C. to hear his speech. Why did so many people feel compelled to travel to this monumental event? Because they felt like it was their personal cause. Members of the audience felt as though they were personally vested to make a difference.
Simon Sinek offers a clear description of a company mission statement in his Ted Talk, “Start With Why.” Sinek claims that people do not buy products that companies manufacture, people buy “why” the companies manufacture the products (or services). He describes the cult-like following that brands such as Harley-Davidson and Apple garner, and he states it is perfectly explained by human biology—the operations of the brain. Sinek explains that the limbic portion of the human brain is what controls behavior and the limbic brain is emotional, not rational. If you have not watched it, go to YouTube and check it out.
Your company’s mission statement should be personal to your company. It may be helpful to see mission statements from other companies in order to get the creative juices flowing, but don’t feel confined by the examples you read. As a matter of fact, be creative and develop something this is totally unique—a statement that is your own!
A powerful mission statement will penetrate the hearts and minds of employees, partners, and customers alike. It will eventually be viewed, not as the company’s belief, but as a shared belief between employees, partners, and customers of the company. The mission statement serves as a common emotional link that can become an “x-factor” for a company.
Below are a few examples of mission statements that were created to capture the “why” for the respective companies. As you read each statement, determine if it inspires or appeals to you. If one does, you may start to gain an affinity toward that brand, just as owners of Harley-Davidson motorcycles feel an affinity to the powerful HD brand.
Keep in mind that one of the great tools that a mission statement provides is that it acts as a vetting tool to determine which employees and partners are aligned with the company to help it accomplish the company’s vision. As Simon Sinek claims, “If you hire people that can do a job, they will work for your money, but if you hire people who believe what you believe [align with your “why”], they will offer their blood, sweat, and tears.”
Company: Patagonia
Mission: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.
Company: Nordstrom’s
Mission: In store or on-line, wherever new opportunities arise, Nordstrom’s works relentlessly to give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.
Company: Warby Parker
Mission: Offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially-conscious businesses.
Company: Harley-Davidson
Mission: Harley-Davidson, Inc. is an action-oriented, international company
, a leader in its commitment to continuously improve our mutually beneficial relationships with stakeholders (customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, government, and society).
To offer my personal opinion, I did not find the mission statement of Harley-Davidson to be overly inspiring. However, there is one key word that I believe all owners of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle feel, and that is “relationship.” Harley-Davidson has done an amazing job over the past several decades building a very strong brand of insanely loyal customers by focusing on their customers instead of appealing to the masses. How many people do you know who have a tattoo of the Honda motorcycle logo on their bicep? I cannot think of any. It seems, however, that thousands of Harley-Davidson owners have permanently etched the HD logo on their bodies to profess their loyalty to and belief in the Harley-Davidson brand.
I would like to share the mission of my company, Fidelis One. Our purpose of existence is to help companies grow. We strongly believe that companies of all sizes, start-up to multi-billion dollar corporations, can benefit from forming strategic partnerships. Our business growth consultants have witnessed the power of strong strategic partnerships, and it is easy for us to speak with pure conviction when we interact with clients.
Mission of Fidelis One:
To help companies grow at rates they did not believe were possible by leveraging the power of strategic partnerships.
Our mission statement is certainly shorter than Apple’s and it really speaks to why we exist. Our purpose is to help our clients grow their organizations. Our mission statement is intentionally simple and direct. For Fidelis One, we know that our purpose is not about what we do, it is about what we promise to our clients: growth and meaningful prosperity.
Your Company Core Values
Finally, let’s discuss core values, the guiding principles and traits that describe and steer our behaviors. As previously shared, John Bloomberg, author of Good to the Core, describes core values as the critical guide that leads us in making decisions in business and in life. Our core values serve as our North Star to direct our thoughts and remind us of what is true. Our core values remind us how we need to act in order to preserve the integrity we display to those we care about.
A company’s core values have been described as a compass. What happens when we open a compass? The arrow quickly redirects itself to magnetic North. No matter where in the world the compass is opened, it automatically orients itself to the same location. In business, it is the responsibility of the business leaders to first define an organization’s core values and then ensure that only those who possess these same core values are allowed to join the team.
This is why core values are such a critical component of deciding whom you should invite to join your company, both internally (employees) and externally (partners). Align your company with people who are naturally drawn to the same beliefs, like a compass dial is naturally drawn to magnetic North. Have your company define between three-to-five core values. Some organizations have more than five, but core values start to become diluted when an organization has too many. Remember, all employees must share the core values or they do not belong in your company, period.
Take the United States Marine Corps. I was blessed to serve six great years of my life in the Marines. This organization has been in existence for more than 240 years and it has only three core values. The Marines have a rich history of discipline, leadership, and success, none of which happened by accident. Their core values are honor, courage, and commitment. Throughout my military career, I spoke those three words countless times as I sought self-guidance when making tough decisions. The three core values of honor, courage, and commitment always seem to lift the fog and present a clear direction for which to move forward.
Below are some examples of companies and their core values:
Company: American Express
Core Values:
Trust
Security
Integrity
Quality
Respect
Customer Commitment
Company: InvisionApp
Core Values:
Question Assumptions
Think Deeply
Iterate as a Lifestyle
Details-Details
Design is Everywhere
Integrity
Cirrus Logic
Core Values:
Continuous Improvement
Innovation
Integrity
Communication
Job Satisfaction
Company: Clif Bar
Core Values:
Connect
Organic
Restore
Ethical
Company: Infusionsoft
Core Values:
We empower entrepreneurs.
We listen, we care, we serve.
We do what we say we’ll do.
We practice open, real communication.
We face challenges with optimism.
We check our egos at the door.
We innovate and constantly improve.
We do the right thing.
We believe in people and their dreams.
Please thoughtfully consider the examples of core values given as you contemplate the current or intended core values of your company. Ask yourself, what are the true values that you want every employee and partner to exemplify? And then align your company with people who are naturally drawn to those same beliefs, like a compass dial is naturally drawn to magnetic North.
CHAPTER 6
PARTNERNOMICS.com/C6
Teams Element
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Teams Element
The teams element of the SPLM is all about people. The success or failure of your strategic partnerships depends on the people who manage and lead your initiatives. Strategic partnerships require strong performances not only from your company representatives, but also from your partner’s employees. The teams element shares industry best practices and other helpful topics to consider when building or further developing your partnership teams.