Mission Impossible

Michael Sexton, Cybelle and I were recently working on a new mission statement for TrumpU. We went back and forth a few times drafting the statement. When we thought we had a final product I sent it to a friend and marketing associate for some feedback. Jeff Simons pointed out that what we had created was plain vanilla and could have been used at any company. It didn't scream Trump. It feel flat and did not accomplish what we had hoped. Here is one of Jeff's comments everyone should think about when writing a mission statement:

"Like so many mission statements, this one could be your competition's, too."

The lesson from this exercise is that writing a mission statement is not impossible but it definitely is not easy. Plan to write and rewrite you mission statement. Then have some friends review it to make sure you capture the essence of what your company is all about. If done right, your team will be able to recite your mission statement by heart and believe in what they are doing.

Good luck on your mission.