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This article has been accepted for publication in the February 2004 issue of Source, the magazine for the Florida Society of Association Executives Use
Your MISSION To Drive High Performance When staff members fully embrace your association’s mission, they see your mission as their mission. And they use the foundational principles of that mission to pursue goals, select priorities, and guide performance. When this happens, your staff makes the kind of contributions that generate positive results. Karen France, CAE, Executive Director of the Clearwater Bar Association uses their mission to achieve positive results with projects. It keeps everyone focused on identifying and completing projects that have the greatest impact on association goals. This approach helps staff members see the common purpose of their actions. The impact is a higher level of personal commitment to making significant contributions. The most effective mission statements are meaningful and relevant. For Margaret Queen, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Apartment Association, this required changing their mission statement. Queen states, “Our association has changed dramatically over the past two years. We were serving a whole new set of member needs. So we wanted a mission statement that reflected those needs.” Bottom-line, as your members’ needs evolve, your mission must evolve. Highlight Your Mission’s Importance It does no good to have a mission statement if your staff doesn't know what it says. Visibility creates this awareness. And the more visible your mission, the more staff members sense its importance. Queen’s mission statement is on their website. France’s mission statement is on their stationary letterhead, association newsletter, business cards, and office bulletin board. Emphasize the value of your mission by creating links with association goals. France makes sure her staff understands how each project relates to their association’s mission. Mark Fontaine, CAE, Executive Director of the Jacksonville Juvenile Justice Association, explains that each year board members use the association’s mission to develop strategic priorities. His staff uses these priorities to guide daily actions. Drive home the significance of your mission by making it personal. First, clarify the connection between your association’s mission and individual performance. Next, connect individual performance to association performance. Lastly, emphasize the mutual benefits of performing in a manner that leads to positive outcomes. Use these strategies to highlight the importance of your mission: 1. Place your association’s mission statement on a large poster in your office. 2. Place your association’s mission statement at the top of every meeting agenda. 3. Have everyone include your mission statement in their email signature. 4. At the beginning of each month, discuss with your staff how achievement of one major goal is linked to your association’s mission. 5. At the beginning of each week, discuss with your staff how achievement of “this week’s” top priorities are linked to your association’s mission. 6. Discuss with each staff member how their strengths contribute to the achievement of your association’s mission. Connect Your Mission To Everything When staff members feel passionate about your association’s mission, they also feel passionate about achieving the goals that evolve from that mission. You can inspire this passion by integrating your mission into the fabric of your association. This happens when you use your mission to guide all activities, which is exactly what Queen does at her association. According to Queen, “Everything we do is connected to our mission.” Let your staff know the most important aspect of your mission. Explain the significance of each sentence and phrase. Clarify how it relates to customer service and product delivery. Fontaine says his staff knows they must always look for ways to improve the efficiency of their administrative processes. This focus defines everything they do. The
point is to keep your mission at the forefront of everyone’s
minds. Use it to introduce Iniatives, resolve problems, and assign
tasks. Your mission provides the foundational support for all
actions. Regardless of the situation, you should always question
how your actions and the actions of your staff further the mission
of your association. Training: How will the skills acquired from this training allow my staff to achieve our association’s mission? Change: How will planned changes improve our ability to achieve our association’s mission? Roles: Is each staff member performing activities that maximize their ability to achieve our association’s mission? Solutions: Which solutions to problems provide the greatest opportunity to help our association achieve its mission? Vision: How is my vision for the future of our office linked to our association’s mission? Values: How are the values in our office linked to our association’s mission? Your mission is a powerful tool that frames your focus and direction. It helps you to inspire the kind of performance that results in positive individual and association achievements. Make it work for you. ~~<<>>~~ PERMISSION TO REPRINT: Articles, Tips, and Tools can be reprinted in company newsletters or magazines. If placed electronically, a Live Link to Dr. Brown's website must be included. Please use the following credit for every item: Dr. Barbara Brown shows organizations how to use High-Performance Leadership to create the kind of links among people, goals & performance that produce positive results. For more tips, visit: www.DrBarbaraBrown.com or email: Barbara@DrBarbaraBrown.com.
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