WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.760 In this course, I really want to start unpacking for you some of the key 2 00:00:09.760 --> 00:00:11.160 foundational things 3 00:00:11.160 --> 00:00:16.200 that you have to get clear about before you can start building the particulars 4 00:00:16.200 --> 00:00:17.040 of specific 5 00:00:17.040 --> 00:00:19.120 strategic plans. 6 00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:24.820 In particular, I want to talk to you about mission, vision, and values, some 7 00:00:24.820 --> 00:00:25.840 definitions 8 00:00:25.840 --> 00:00:29.190 for those terms and how they interrelate with one another and I'll even show 9 00:00:29.190 --> 00:00:29.700 you a little 10 00:00:29.700 --> 00:00:34.830 metaphor for them and then give you a bit of a diagnostic tool to see where you 11 00:00:34.830 --> 00:00:35.340 may need 12 00:00:35.340 --> 00:00:37.080 to be focusing your attention. 13 00:00:37.080 --> 00:00:41.520 So first, just about basic definitions of each of these areas. 14 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:46.020 There are lots of different authors or different articles that will deal with 15 00:00:46.020 --> 00:00:46.480 these. 16 00:00:46.480 --> 00:00:48.760 This is the way that I like to define them. 17 00:00:48.760 --> 00:00:51.960 And the main thing is just make sure you're defining them in the same way in 18 00:00:51.960 --> 00:00:53.480 your own organization, 19 00:00:53.480 --> 00:00:56.020 if you don't define these in the way that I do. 20 00:00:56.020 --> 00:00:59.800 For mission, for me, that is all about purpose. 21 00:00:59.800 --> 00:01:04.460 In a ministry or in a church, it could be about our calling is another word for 22 00:01:04.460 --> 00:01:04.960 it. 23 00:01:04.960 --> 00:01:08.400 What is it that we are called, who are we called to serve? 24 00:01:08.400 --> 00:01:10.000 What are we called to provide? 25 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:14.400 Why do we exist in the sense of that fundamental calling? 26 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:18.000 What are we trying to sustain amongst ourselves? 27 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:19.720 What's distinctive about that? 28 00:01:19.720 --> 00:01:21.200 What is it that we do? 29 00:01:21.200 --> 00:01:22.600 Answers that question. 30 00:01:22.600 --> 00:01:26.160 Or vision, that's kind of putting mission in motion. 31 00:01:26.160 --> 00:01:29.680 It is all about our fundamental distinctive direction. 32 00:01:29.680 --> 00:01:32.000 Where is it that we're headed as an organization? 33 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:35.240 What's God calling us to provide or accomplish? 34 00:01:35.240 --> 00:01:38.000 What's the promised land that we're aiming for? 35 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:42.780 What's the fruitfulness that would describe when our mission is aligning well 36 00:01:42.780 --> 00:01:43.440 and we're 37 00:01:43.440 --> 00:01:47.800 really doing well at executing and providing the value that we're targeting? 38 00:01:47.800 --> 00:01:53.490 How are we staying faithful to our mission by seeing traction and growth or 39 00:01:53.490 --> 00:01:54.620 fruitfulness 40 00:01:54.620 --> 00:01:56.400 for those that we're trying to serve? 41 00:01:56.400 --> 00:02:00.280 Then finally, values is more about our organizational character. 42 00:02:00.280 --> 00:02:04.180 If mission's purpose and vision is direction, values is more about the how-to's 43 00:02:04.180 --> 00:02:04.480 . 44 00:02:04.480 --> 00:02:09.500 I like to think about it in terms of riverbanks or guiding principles and those 45 00:02:09.500 --> 00:02:10.480 , in effect, 46 00:02:10.480 --> 00:02:11.840 what's our unique DNA? 47 00:02:11.840 --> 00:02:14.520 What characterizes the ways that we go about? 48 00:02:14.520 --> 00:02:19.020 The how we get these things accomplished can also be really critical so that it 49 00:02:19.020 --> 00:02:19.640 's not just 50 00:02:19.640 --> 00:02:23.230 the ends justifying the means, it's staying true to who we are as an 51 00:02:23.230 --> 00:02:25.200 organization is captured 52 00:02:25.200 --> 00:02:27.680 by our value set. 53 00:02:27.680 --> 00:02:32.920 What metaphor that I like a lot is to use a ship. 54 00:02:32.920 --> 00:02:37.040 Every ship floats and presumably it's doing stuff, but not every ship is the 55 00:02:37.040 --> 00:02:37.480 same. 56 00:02:37.480 --> 00:02:41.980 I'm going to suggest three different types of ships, an aircraft carrier, where 57 00:02:41.980 --> 00:02:42.240 it's 58 00:02:42.240 --> 00:02:45.800 I.I. captain and it has a particular mission to accomplish things. 59 00:02:45.800 --> 00:02:47.600 That's really different than a pirate ship. 60 00:02:47.600 --> 00:02:53.900 The hour is fundamentally existing for another reason, which is also different 61 00:02:53.900 --> 00:02:54.920 from a cruise 62 00:02:54.920 --> 00:02:59.000 ship where it's a good time and dancing the mumbo. 63 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:07.200 I could add more ships, a tugboat or a carrier of cargo, whatever it is. 64 00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:11.960 You can think about mission, vision, and values distinctly in each one of those 65 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:12.600 areas. 66 00:03:12.600 --> 00:03:18.800 For example, the mission for an aircraft carrier is the existence and the 67 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:20.960 extension of power. 68 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:21.960 That's why it exists. 69 00:03:21.960 --> 00:03:26.460 That's why countries send aircraft carriers into contentious parts of the world 70 00:03:26.460 --> 00:03:26.640 . 71 00:03:26.640 --> 00:03:31.080 The mission for a pirate ship is completely different using a little alliter 72 00:03:31.080 --> 00:03:31.600 ation here. 73 00:03:31.600 --> 00:03:32.840 It's all about the plunder. 74 00:03:32.840 --> 00:03:36.960 It's all about the accumulation of other people's wealth for our behalf and 75 00:03:36.960 --> 00:03:37.540 that's getting 76 00:03:37.540 --> 00:03:38.700 away with it. 77 00:03:38.700 --> 00:03:43.870 Whereas the mission for a cruise ship is the provision of a pleasurable 78 00:03:43.870 --> 00:03:45.120 experience for 79 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:50.810 all those so pleasurable that we hope people will come back and give us more of 80 00:03:50.810 --> 00:03:51.720 their available 81 00:03:51.720 --> 00:03:57.800 disposable income spent on our cruise lines and our cruise experiences. 82 00:03:57.800 --> 00:04:00.800 The vision in each one of those areas is also different. 83 00:04:00.800 --> 00:04:05.300 If I'm all about extending power, then I want to extend that power successfully 84 00:04:05.300 --> 00:04:05.400 . 85 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:08.600 Broadly express, it's all about victory. 86 00:04:08.600 --> 00:04:11.680 Whereas plunder is all about the accumulation of wealth. 87 00:04:11.680 --> 00:04:15.090 I can tell if I'm the dread pirate Roberts that I get to retire and find 88 00:04:15.090 --> 00:04:15.920 another dread 89 00:04:15.920 --> 00:04:18.840 pirate Roberts to come in and take my place. 90 00:04:18.840 --> 00:04:23.920 With a cruise ship, it's all about the accumulation of repeatable memories. 91 00:04:23.920 --> 00:04:28.420 You could put it in terms of repeat business, but the essence of it is I've got 92 00:04:28.420 --> 00:04:28.560 people who 93 00:04:28.560 --> 00:04:33.740 become patrons and who are loyal to the experience and want to spend more time 94 00:04:33.740 --> 00:04:34.560 with us. 95 00:04:34.560 --> 00:04:38.640 In each one of those areas, there are also distinctive values at play. 96 00:04:38.640 --> 00:04:43.140 The classic Navy values are honor, courage, and commitment and they mean those 97 00:04:43.140 --> 00:04:43.360 things 98 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:47.860 and they are driven deeply into expectations for how everyone on one of those 99 00:04:47.860 --> 00:04:48.240 aircraft 100 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:49.800 carriers is behaving. 101 00:04:49.800 --> 00:04:53.760 A classic for the pirate ship and I love this value is because it's actionable. 102 00:04:53.760 --> 00:04:58.260 Red men tell no tales means we do not leave witnesses if I'm an actual pirate 103 00:04:58.260 --> 00:04:58.840 because 104 00:04:58.840 --> 00:05:03.240 that preserves my anonymity and my ability to keep functioning as a pirate. 105 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:08.440 Whereas in a cruise line, it might be eat, have fun, eat some more. 106 00:05:08.440 --> 00:05:11.950 What drives the behavior that we're trying to encourage both with our crew as 107 00:05:11.950 --> 00:05:12.400 well as 108 00:05:12.400 --> 00:05:14.400 with those who are on board? 109 00:05:14.400 --> 00:05:18.900 If that's helpful, just to show you that there are distinctive things as you 110 00:05:18.900 --> 00:05:19.280 think about 111 00:05:19.280 --> 00:05:22.840 your own organization that you'll want to be clear about. 112 00:05:22.840 --> 00:05:25.360 Here are some warning signs for you. 113 00:05:25.360 --> 00:05:28.920 On the mission, if I have an organization where I'm trying to be all things to 114 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:29.680 all people, 115 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:30.680 I can't make choices. 116 00:05:30.680 --> 00:05:35.180 I've got programs of the month or especially if I feel like we have this 117 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:35.720 mission creep 118 00:05:35.720 --> 00:05:38.920 and I'm starting to try to do a lot of things we've never done before. 119 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:40.520 Those are warning signs. 120 00:05:40.520 --> 00:05:45.540 As opposed to I'm able to create more value, I'm able to say no to things and 121 00:05:45.540 --> 00:05:46.240 do it with 122 00:05:46.240 --> 00:05:47.240 conviction. 123 00:05:47.240 --> 00:05:49.640 I'm focusing where I'm investing my resources. 124 00:05:49.640 --> 00:05:51.800 I can manage my growth well. 125 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:55.360 Those are all winning signs that my mission statement is in good shape. 126 00:05:55.360 --> 00:05:59.860 In the vision area, if I'm confused about my goals, if I'm thinking more about 127 00:05:59.860 --> 00:06:00.000 activities 128 00:06:00.000 --> 00:06:05.400 and real outcomes, if I have a loss of passion, is often a sign of weak vision 129 00:06:05.400 --> 00:06:06.440 because I don't 130 00:06:06.440 --> 00:06:10.140 have an alignment towards something we all want to accomplish together, I have 131 00:06:10.140 --> 00:06:10.760 difficulty 132 00:06:10.760 --> 00:06:12.840 in raising resources from the outside. 133 00:06:12.840 --> 00:06:15.280 Then I may have a vision problem. 134 00:06:15.280 --> 00:06:22.210 As opposed to real alignment or global goals or clear organizational priorities 135 00:06:22.210 --> 00:06:23.000 , those 136 00:06:23.000 --> 00:06:28.720 are all signs of my vision being in the condition where it needs to be. 137 00:06:28.720 --> 00:06:33.670 On the value set, it could be that if I got poor loyalty or if I have weak 138 00:06:33.670 --> 00:06:34.640 creativity 139 00:06:34.640 --> 00:06:39.800 or an inability or an unwillingness to innovate or push the boundaries. 140 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:44.300 If I have fragmentation inside of my organization, if I have some corrosive 141 00:06:44.300 --> 00:06:44.960 elements, I have 142 00:06:44.960 --> 00:06:46.200 bad teamwork. 143 00:06:46.200 --> 00:06:51.430 Those are all signs that I may need to do a lot more work in establishing and 144 00:06:51.430 --> 00:06:52.320 enforcing 145 00:06:52.320 --> 00:06:56.040 my values in the ways that things work around here. 146 00:06:56.040 --> 00:07:01.110 If I have strong alignment in my value set, then I see things like better 147 00:07:01.110 --> 00:07:02.200 delegation, 148 00:07:02.200 --> 00:07:05.290 the ability to assume that people are behaving in a way that's consistent with 149 00:07:05.290 --> 00:07:05.960 those values 150 00:07:05.960 --> 00:07:08.200 and they don't need direction at every moment. 151 00:07:08.200 --> 00:07:14.020 I have greater pride and stability, I have stronger teamwork, I have more unity 152 00:07:14.020 --> 00:07:14.360 . 153 00:07:14.360 --> 00:07:18.920 It boils down to another topic we'll talk about in a later course. 154 00:07:18.920 --> 00:07:24.130 Strong signs of organizational health are often connected to a really strong 155 00:07:24.130 --> 00:07:24.940 sense of 156 00:07:24.940 --> 00:07:27.480 the core values of the organization. 157 00:07:27.480 --> 00:07:29.120 Hope those are helpful for you. 158 00:07:29.120 --> 00:07:34.940 We'll continue to unpack each of those elements in some later videos in this 159 00:07:34.940 --> 00:07:36.160 course around 160 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:42.560 the particulars of mission and of vision and of values.