Find Your Mission

THE DILEMMA:


A CEO contacted us expressing his need for a Mission Statement in order for employees, partners and investors to better understand his business direction.


INSIDE YOUR BRAND:


Every brand is a fictional entity. The strongest brands are those with the most attractive personalities.


What is the personality of your brand? What does it look like? What does it sound like? How does your brand think, act, and see the world? Remember, everything communicates.


INSIDE YOUR COMPANY:


A company is another type of fictional entity.


The personality of your company is spread across its employees -- representatives who are supposed to think, act, and see the world according to the principles your company was built upon. That culture is not born from the written word but from the sweat of actions.


Your Mission Statement is not your style guide. Mission Statements are amorphous dollops of wishful thinking, high hopes committed to paper. Forgive me, but the average Mission Statement is packed with overbearing cliches . Every time I read one I’m reminded of those young women in beauty pageants who provocate dreams of world peace. In short, most Mission Statements are no more meaningfully rooted than a child claiming to be a "blank" when they grow up.


It takes more than a Mission Statement to bring about world peace and it will take more than a Mission Statement to unify your employees or those looking to invest.


HOW TO APPLY THIS WISDOM:

1. Identify the Unifying Principles of your company.
2. Write them down.
3. Make them real through your words and actions.

Unifying Principles become the Character Bible for real-world employees.

Unifying Principles are not core values. They provide more guidance than core values.

Unifying Principles are not rules. They provide more freedom than rules.

Unifying Principles are specific statements that reflect a belief system. Not a mission to attain but acts that are deep rooted, underway and unwavering.

Unifying Principles bring people into unity and form the basis for coordinated action.

Honesty is a core value.

• Do not steal is a mission.
• Love your neighbor as yourself is a Unifying Principle.

Generosity is a core value.

• Allow second helpings is a mission.
• Provide enough that an abundance remains when everyone has had all they want is a Unifying Principle.

Rules/missions are for people whose minds are too small to grasp the principle behind them. Involve your employees in your Unifying Principles and you’ll find that rules/mission are no longer required.


Principles, not rules nor missions, determine how we think, act, and see the world. When employees embrace the principles upon which your company is built, you can trust them to make the right decisions.


Do you live your live by Unifying Principles and can you articulate them? Give it some thought and next time present all who matters your Unifying Principles statement.


Greg


Gregory Salsburg
CEO/The Big STIR
STIR-Communications
Miami | New York | London
c: (561) 386-8064
o: (305) 407-1723
e: Greg@STIR-Communications.com








 

Facebook Finale II

...Within minutes of deleting my status I received emails from 5 people furious, thinking I took them off my "friends" list. The following week I ran into others and they shared their displeasure with what they thought was me singling them out. Others asked me if all was OK. Not, mind you, if I was OK but rather if all was OK with Facebook. In their minds, something must have been wrong with the entire entity as they couldn't fathom I simply chose to eliminate this avenue of dribble from my life.

I have read stories of people taking such offense to their Facebook status changes they will engage in petty verbal attacks or even resort to using PhotoShop to delete that person from pictures -- pathetic!

So to recap, in a world of virtual reality, where at least 98 percent of my "friends" were anything but, where I only exist when I choose and one can only communicate with me when I'm logged in, were upset with me based on a made-up status and their new found inability to "poke" me.

Opposed to let's say, my real life, where the same people that happen to reach out to express "concern," had my phone number (home and cell), email, home and work address and many were in my real social circle.

These responses didn't make me reconsider rejoining the medium but rather concurred my decision was just.

Yes, we live in a world of excess hyper-technological connectivity. However, I submit as equally as these communication channels are being used to foster our society forward they are also impediments towards deep personal connectivity.

Greg

Gregory Salsburg
CEO/The Big STIR
STIR-Communications
Miami | New York | London
c: (561) 386-8064
o: (305) 407-1723
e: Greg@STIR-Communications.com

Facebook Finale I

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

I have done the unthinkable. The 21st Century version of treason. A decision so profound I shudder to think of the ramifications.

I anticipate, like many who have risked reputation and took a stand for their beliefs, statues will be erected in my honor and future generations will name their children after me, “The Big STIR.”

We live in a world of excess hyper-connectivity. Where ADD is no longer a concern, but a requirement for survival.

Our world is one where it is no longer good enough to be socially social, one must extend the prior social parameters to now include as many technological vehicles possible to showcase their social behavior. In short, a "moment" is really not "moment" unless it is dignified on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, etc.

A social network is a social structure made up of individuals (or organizations) called "nodes", which are tied (connected) by one or more specific types of interdependence, such as friendship, kinship, common interest, financial exchange, sexual relationships, or relationships of beliefs, knowledge or prestige.

However psychologists are finding greed, dislike, jealously, rage, self-loathing, self doubt, competition, anxiety and lies, run equally as rampant.

That doesn't sound so social as much as an episode of the "Jersey Shore.”

I feel blessed to have people receive my "weekly" blog and numerous others who caught my wisdom via Facebook. That is, until I shut it down this summer.

OK, maybe not the best business move to eliminate a huge chunk of audience but the wonders for my psyche are unquestionable.

I had come to consider Facebook less of a social network and more of a vehicle for voyeurism. I was spending more time viewing other people’s lives and comments of same and comparing those to my activities, rather than living my own life.

Considering the degree of narcissism and self absorption I possess, to even care for others is out of character, no less finding myself "checking in" for an update. So, slayed the dragon I did! In one glorious keystroke I eliminated my existence.

What came next was the big surprise...


Greg
 
Gregory Salsburg
CEO/The Big STIR
STIR-Communications
Miami | New York | London
c: (561) 386-8064
o: (305) 407-1723
e: Greg@STIR-Communications.com