Monday, October 8, 2007

Mission, Vision, Strategy confusion

The confusion of Mission, Vision and Strategy is not the stuff of corporate raiders but the disconnect of the everyday. An impulse buy is a Vision that is divorced from a mission and strategy. A fad diet is a strategy divorced from a Mission though it may fulfill a short term vision. A divorce is a relationship without a mission, operating on an unstated strategy, without a clear destination in mind. All these exemplify why Mission, Vision and Strategy are for the common man, for the everyday decision matrix and why we need to know. The mission tells me why I exist. The Strategy are the essential steps I need to fulfill to pursue this mission. The vision is an ever clarifying picture of what it looks like to pursue and arrive at this destination, with each step closer the picture becomes more clear. Too often we don't know why we are here and so our process for living is jumbled and unclear leading us to drift and bounce around the sea of life without a destination. Without it our jobs, purchases, familes, prayers, entertainment, leisure, lunches, relationships....are transient encounters.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Amen. A vast majority of lives are spent in unintentional momentum only to pause or end in brief moments of disappointment that they didn't drift into their dreams or happiness. The "why" question is rarely asked, the "how's it working" rarely interjected and "what is the purpose of..." simply avoided it seems. What powerful interrogatives those can be!

Ironic that we will pay advisors and transaction fees to make sure a financial investment is well suited to our long term desires, the market, and such but not apply any similar strategery around our marriages, vocational choices, time management or spiritual discipleship.

Good thoughts for a Monday, Bro. Good thoughts.