79. Mission (definition)

NOTE: if you’re new to Ground-Up Governance, or are finding anything a bit strange or confusing, you might want to START HERE.

A corporation’s mission and vision usually go hand in hand…or at least they should. If you do a good job at crafting both the mission and vision, it will give you a lot of clarity about what your corporation should and shouldn’t be doing.

Remember that a vision is a desired future state, like “hi-tech hat technology in every household,” or “every child adores brussels sprouts,” or something like that? In short, it defines where your corporation is going. Your mission statement is similar, except it describes what your corporation DOES, all in a single brief, concise, motivating sentence. “Building barrier-free hi-tech hats for the entire world.” Or “Inspiring children, one brussels sprout at a time.” At the risk of being even more dumb than usual, “to be sitting on the couch” is a vision, and “going over to the couch and sitting down on it” is a mission.

It's pretty obvious why having good mission and vision statements is useful. It can also be useful to remember that your mission and vision are fungible. Maybe you eventually realize that your vision isn’t ambitious enough, or your mission isn’t as relevant as you thought. Or maybe you’ve actually accomplished your vision, and feel like creating a new one instead of closing shop or flailing around aimlessly (sorry, dramatic). Your board has the authority to change your mission and vision, although it’s probably not very smart to do so without engaging with your stakeholders first.

Just to be provocative, Matt has crafted a vision and mission for Ground-Up Governance without consulting *anyone*, including Nate. Here they are:

Vision: Every corporate leader’s behaviour is at least 326% sillier, and at least 5% smarter.

Mission: Redefining good corporate governance through vaguely smart silliness.