There are a lot of things leaders need to have in order to create meaningful impact in the workplace.
Authenticity has proven to be a valuable commodity, coaching unleashes the potential of others, and communication enables meaningful connection with team members.
But among these many attributes, the value of being on mission and staying on mission seems to be systematically overlooked.
The value of being and staying on the mission is constantly overlooked by bad leaders.
This is in part due to common misconceptions about what it means to be a mission-driven leader. In reality, however, being mission-oriented is a quality no leader should overlook.
Unfortunately, many leaders are not interested in being mission oriented because it seems “soft” or even “silly”. The most common response I get from these leaders is, “This mission stuff is fluffy. We’re here to make money.” Others say categorically: “we don’t need it”. So while I can understand why people would say these things, they couldn’t be more wrong.
What is it to be and to remain in mission?
The word mission is traditionally defined in leadership as an important goal or goal that comes with a strong conviction; a vocation or a vocation. While the definition makes sense and it’s hard to argue that it’s not essential in the world of leadership, some great leaders go further.
In a recent episode of the 3 Things podcast, Red Ventures host and CEO Ric Elias asked Movement Mortgage CEO Casey Crawful, “What advice would you give someone on how to live a meaningful and joyful life? ” Crawford’s response spoke to me.
“Go on a mission in life and run hard after doing something meaningful and impactful that you can be proud of.” He continued, “If you do meaningful work with people you love, it’s a formula that has brought me a lot of joy in life.”
Go on a mission in life and run hard after doing meaningful and impactful things – Casey Crawford
If you look beyond Crawford’s wise words, no military operation is launched without a clear mission. For example, Seal Team Six, who killed Osama Bin Laden, was put in danger to complete a specific mission: to eliminate the world’s most dangerous man.
There are several ways you can look at these two examples, but what I want you to take away is this:
The mission makes sense.
In other words, when you are on a mission, you have meaning in your work. The best leaders know that having meaning in their work is a key ingredient to success and achievement.
How to be mission oriented
I come from the school of thought that you can have a personal mission, a team mission and a corporate mission. While all three are essential on their own, I’m mostly excited about a team on a mission.
Take the example of Sarah, a team leader at a mortgage company. His group was responsible for preparing the final loan documents for the closing appointments that all parties were required to sign before the deed was transferred. It’s tedious and stressful work without a lot of real excitement.
Sarah saw an opportunity to bond deeper to the purpose of her team’s work each day. She asked the loan officers of the companies who received the final documents from her team to send photos of the clients running the final documents at the close.
Soon after, a photograph of a single mother with her young daughter arrived. They both beamed with pride as the mother signed the paperwork confirming the purchase of their very first home. Photographs like this kept pouring in. Sarah’s team got a better understanding of their mission to help families become homeowners like they did.
If you are leading a team, don’t go another year without a clear understanding of why you are doing what they do and what their mission is. It’s easy for professionals to get lost in the monotony of their work without even considering how their work has a real impact on life.
It’s easy for professionals to get lost in the monotony of their work without even considering how their work has a real impact on life.
Creating or reinforcing a team mission statement immediately raises the ceiling of what is possible and improves your chances of having highly engaged employees. If you need help, try this formula from Building the Best:
We do X to get Y for Z.
For the mortgage team responsible for preparing the final loan documents, the assignment could be something like this: “We quickly write and complete closing documents for families so they can be ‘home’ as quickly as possible. .
Closing
Whether you previously saw yourself as mission-oriented or not, now is the time to remind yourself to never stray from the mission. Leaders who are mission-oriented will not only be more successful in the long run than those who are not, but it is a requirement in today’s leadership landscape.