Want pride, drive, energy and enthusiasm? Seek out this one, big thing.
We all have to have a Mission we’re proud of and desire to pursue. We have to have this because it is Mission that drives us. Mission gives us the discipline to pursue. Mission gives us the reason why. Mission is still there for us when we fail or stumble. We’ll speak the mission to anyone who will listen, for it compels us and others to act. We love a compelling Mission. A compelling Mission moves mountains. It brings people together to act as one. It makes people disciplined and helps guide behavior.
A grand Mission gives people purpose, the great reason. Purpose unites us. Purpose drives us. Purpose makes us do things we wouldn’t normally do. Purpose gives us the reason to act. Purpose gives us a life worth living. Purpose is there for us when we stumble. Purpose wrapped around a compelling Mission makes us march. Purpose is the glue that holds the Mission together. Without Purpose, you’ve got a compelling Mission with no one to act on it. Purpose is a key driving force toward growth and change. Growth and change cannot happen without purpose.
With a new Mission and purpose, growth and change are nearly automatic. We aren’t the same people we were. We desire new things. We are motivated by higher callings. The smaller Missions and their accompanying purposes don’t do it for us any more. We need something more compelling, something grander, to move us to act. A new vision, Mission and purpose are the catalyst for that growth and change. If we’ve got new reasons, then we’re ready for that growth and change. If we don’t have new reasons or we don’t believe in the new reasons, we’re not ready for that growth and change. You must have buy-in or else it won’t work. People have to feel like they have skin in the game for this growth and change. Otherwise, it is just too much work for not enough reward. This ‘skin’ gets them on board behind the new Mission and purpose. People must have a sense of contribution or creativity they’ve given toward the Mission in order to get buy in. This kicks their sense of belonging and accomplishment in gear, now a willing member of a new tribe working together toward a common goal.
We are designed to want to fit into the group, to belong, to contribute to something larger than ourselves. We are simply driven to be like this. This is what makes a compelling Mission so vivid, so alluring to people. When someone gets it right, people march to it in step. When someone nails it, people send people to outer space and back. When someone gets the compelling Mission, they feel their contribution matter on a daily basis. They are creating. They are contributing to the group. They are problem solving. They are making a difference in the lives of others. They are motivated beyond simple, traditional carrots and sticks. They jump out of bed in the morning, ready to get to work on the Mission.
Do not underestimate how deep Mission can run. People jump off of cliffs for the Mission. We’ll even do unhealthy things in the name of the Mission. Yes, you can push Mission too far. But overall, with a sound Mission, people prove that they can do extraordinary things. It is these extraordinary things that cause others to do their own incredible things. It is natural when a compelling Mission surrounds and unites them.
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