Missions Statements - Important or no? Business only or personal too? Part 1

I am on the board of directors for a local animal rescue and education non-profit. This organization is under the direction of a new Executive Director. Our new E.D. has many great ideas of how to expand the services that we offer. With all our new goals and programs, we have decided that we also need a new mission statement. I am on the committee to help write that. As we are starting to pull our ideas together, it got me thinking - just how important are mission statements? And are mission statements only for businesses or could they be used for personal and in family settings too?

I guess we should start with - What is a mission statement? www.dictionary.com defines mission statement as a "summary describing the aims, values, and overall plan of an organization or individual" (2009). AH HA! Even dictionary.com says it can be used for individuals.

I believe in the importance of writing things down. The process of writing things down seems to make them more official, thus holding you somewhat accountable to them. Likewise, having something in writing requires that you put some thought into what you are trying to accomplish. Just like a to do list or a list of goals, clearing the wandering thoughts from your head and putting them on paper is the first step to accomplishing the task.

As for a mission statement and its importance - it is absolutely vital for a company or a family or an individual to have one. It helps to identify your core values and proclaims (mainly to the you, your employees and/or your family members) what you believe in and what you want to accomplish as a company or a household. The nice thing about missions statements is - they are organic. They can easily be changed with the times and needs of the organization or home.

I must confess, for both my companies, I do not have a written mission statement. Join me over the next couple weeks as I create one for Leash4Lease, Amy Munns Consulting and for the Munns' family too. I will share my end products with you here on my blog and I invite you to share yours too. If you don't have one, maybe that is a good goal to set for yourself. Let's work on this together.

I also invite you to share this project with your colleagues and friends.

Until next time.

Amy
www.amymunns.com