“What is it you think we do here?”
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) asks coworker Natalie Keener (Anna Kendrick) this simple yet elusive question in the brilliant movie Up in the Air. Anna responds quickly by reciting the mission statement.
“We prepare the newly unemployed for the emotional and physical hurdles of job hunting while minimizing legal blowback.”
Ryan pushes back. “That is what we’re selling, that’s not what we’re doing.” Ryan then articulates the mission.
“We are here to make limbo tolerable. To ferry wounded souls across the river of dread to a point where hope is dimly visible.”
How would you contrast the difference between the mission statement and the mission? The snap answer is that the two should be the same, but they never are. Here’s the key difference: Mission statements lack the emotion of missions.
Let’s say you are a civil engineer who works with municipalities, your mission statement might be about efficient design and putting the client first, but your mission might be “we build the communities we live in.”
Mission statements inform people. Missions take that information and turn it into a story that inspires people.
Why should you develop a mission? Well, which one of these will help you attract superstars? Which one will help you make the sale? Which one will motivate your team? Which one will your team recite to others in their professional network?
