As I think more and more about the day-to-day decisions I have to make, I go back to something an old friend and someone who helped me greatly in business named Jack Griffis sent me this summer. It was sent via text message and his quote was, “This mission statement reeks of you!” Now, while I won’t take the credit for the following mission statement, it was taken from a company that started from scratch in the 1970s and became one of the leading global brands today. This was their original mission statement, and you can find the name after you read all the way through the 10 points. This is the best way that I can define my mindset at the current time.
- Our business is change.
- We’re on offense. All the time.
- Perfect results count – not a perfect process.
- This is as much about battle as it is business.
- Assume nothing. Make sure people keep their promises. Push yourselves. Push others. Stretch the possible.
- Live off the land.
- Your job isn’t done until the job is done.
- Dangers:
- Bureaucracy
- Personal ambition
- Energy takers vs. energy givers
- Knowing our weaknesses
- Don’t get too many things on the platter
- It won’t be pretty.
- If we do the right things we’ll make money damn near automatic.
The company that wrote these was Nike.