EDITIORIAL

'Your mlsslon, lf you choose to accept lt..,tt

Mission stat€ments, after a flurry of popularity, seem to be waning in their appeal to corporate America

Most customers don't give a hoot m4 indepd most afe unaware they even exist. But &mageme,trt should cfre as mission stat€ments often are a finn's first (and only) attempt to define what they are, why they exist, their direction and goals.

The act of defining these elernents often forces managerrent to refine its thinking as 0o what their cdnpany is all about. Often nothing mor€ is done than what should have been done by management in the fint plaoe. That is, get back !o the basics. Indee( what seeins obvious in retrospect is sometimes only reached after much discussion and fractious debate. Happily, the result usually enjoys majcity support.

Not so positive is the fact that mission stateme,nts too often are merely a sring of overwortre4 virtually meaningless cliches. Lots of verbiage about exellence, customer service and value that leaves the reader underwhelmed and slightly suspicious that these words are slickly insincere.

DAVID CUTLER editor-publisher

Some mission stat€ments have a faintly warlike 0one. It makes you wonder if they're selling products or stmming castles.

For employees, a clear understanding of what the company stands fm and where it wants to go can be very supportive. They can use an effective statement as a sales tool with cuslomers, as guidelines for working within the firm and as a penmal reassuranoe that their employer will probably be around forawhile.

Focusing on why it is you aI go to the stse or plant each day can have a number of benefits. Not the least of these is the imperative for profit. Some people get so caught up in their duties that the need for profit somehow gets losl Top rranagement is not beyond criticism in these cases either. Custromer service, quality and all the other frequent features of mission statements are just dandy. But if you don't make a profit, none of the rest rnatt€rs.

It's 10 o'clock at night Do you lmow where your company is?

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