Friday, January 29, 2010

It's Official: the blog is on hiatus

Sometimes the best thing we can do to make progress is to acknowledge that we aren't making it -- or at least in all of the areas we had expected. With that thought in mind, I make it official that I'm on a bit of a hiatus from the blog. You may have noticed the posts are a bit more infrequent these past few months. I have my reasons. None of them have to do with a lack of energy, insight or dedication. So, now, I simply must acknowledge publicly that I'm taking a few more weeks. Next week in the mountains. The weeks thereafter to come back to sea level. And while I might not be making as much progress as I would like here, you can follow more frequent progress in my sharing of resources and tips by becoming a fan of Timpano on Facebook.
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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Clarity in Mission Aids Effectiveness

Particularly in ages of uncertainly, people crave clarity and connection. Mission statements can provide it, when they are grounded in practicality and at the core a larger ideology that speaks to desired accomplishments, behaviors and impressions.

Stefan Stern questions the need for mission statements in his blog for The Financial Times. He does so in the context of the current issues with Google in China. The question of Google's "mission statement" is fascinating. Stern suggests "don't be evil" is cliche and over-reaching, that it is trouble for the company. Perhaps, yet others might suggest it is brilliant and a true indicator that Google sees no boundaries in the potential for its products or service offerings of the future. For me, it smacks of an operating principle that got packaged into a mission statement.

A powerful mission statement helps people within the organization understand its purpose. It is specific to the organization's culture and a cornerstone for decision-making at all levels. Mission statements driven by dreams and lacking context may inspire yet they rarely provide clarity to someone searching for purpose.
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