What’s Your Mission?

Over the weekend, my husband and I had the privilege of attending a long-time client’s annual kickoff event and awards ceremony. The Breakaway Group, a Denver-based consulting firm that specializes in healthcare technology adoption, hosts its “launch” event each January. It’s a chance to celebrate the company’s successes from the prior year, rally around the goals for the year ahead, and honor outstanding employees and partners. The Breakaway Group has a unique and clear mission that the company, its leaders and employees hold in very high esteem. That mission is to “always leave more than you take.”

The mission isn’t just something the founder wrote on a business plan years ago and tucked away. It is truly at the heart of the business, and fuels the work The Breakaway Group does on a daily basis. The mission is so important that The Breakaway Group honors a handful of employees who have demonstrated a commitment to “leaving more than they take” each year with their highly coveted Promise Award.

As a PR professional, I am pleased to see one of my clients so clearly outline, communicate and carry out its mission. Having a mission is one thing. But, communicating that mission effectively and actually living it is quite another.

This got me thinking about my mission. Years ago, I defined my mission to provide the finest public relations counsel available with extraordinary client service. I strive to deliver on my mission every day. On some days and with some projects I succeed. On others, inevitably, I fail. But, it’s my goal, my driver and motivation.

Having a mission is imperative. It’s still January – the perfect time for re-evaluation and goal setting. So, if you don’t have one established already, set aside some time to define your mission. Whether you’re defining a mission for your company, for yourself as a professional, or one for how you want to live your life – make your mission about what you want to achieve and how.

Once that’s in place, figure out two or three things you’ll do this year to communicate and deliver on that mission. Make it public and work to integrate it into everything you do. This is an excellent way to better define your business, your differentiators and why you do what you do.

So, what’s your mission?

-Stacey Sepp