In the wilderness, a simple tool, like a compass, is the difference between finding
safety or endless wandering. With magnetic magic, the needle aims the way.
Now, each stride has purpose and direction. Leading your team and company is
no different. So, what do we use to point our leadership True North?
Strong and effective leadership is rooted in purpose and principle, which
provides us with decision-making direction – a course forward. Purpose-focused
statements of vision, mission, values and guiding principles become our
leadership compass. They drive intent and answer the “Why” – which is vital for
employee engagement, alignment, strategic focus and coordinated action.
The challenge is whether these statements are mere words or a call to action that
resonates with all employees. Let’s test these statements.
The Prince Health Purpose Statement Test
If you can answer, YES to each question, your statements – vision, mission, values
and principles - are on-target to provide the right direction and action:
1) “Are they Clear?” Can the statement be fully understood? Do employees
have to think about what the statement means or does the statement
immediately inspire emotion and action? Ask employees to review the
statements and to provide feedback on their clarity.
2) “Are they Concise?” Use simple, action-oriented words. Keep vision and
mission statements to a single sentence. Write values & principle statements in
bulleted sentences that connect employee action to the your mission & goals.
3) “Do they move people?” Purpose-driven statements need to arouse a call
to action. They need to be attainable while stretching people to achieve great
success. The vision statement should tell people where the organization is
heading and the mission states the current aim.
4) “Do they help leaders make decisions?” Statements that define values
help leaders keep their teams on course. During times of change and uncertainty,
leaders rely on these statements to answer the challenging “Why” questions and
to help steer direction and set expectations. Schedule a meeting or retreat to
renew team commitment to organizational values and principles.
5) “Are they Integrated?” Incorporate purpose-driven statements into the
performance management process. Evaluate people on exemplifying the values
and guiding principles. Provide specific feedback when they are living these
values and ensure there is frank discussion when they do not. Model it yourself.
Use this simple five-question test to ensure your purpose-driven statements are
strategic, clear, concise, inspire and help people make sound decisions.