The Larsen Group

Circles of Change:  Conversations with Dr. Zara Larsen

 on Change Leadership and Career Fulfillment

June 22, 2008

“From the Dark Side to the Light Side: Mission Driven Leadership”

Guest:  Brooke Manville

Anchoring Points: 

1. Mission – why an organization exists, its purpose for being in the world – will become increasingly important in the coming years.

2. Mission has distinguished the character of non-profits for a long time:

      Red Cross -- Doing what’s needed to prevent and relieve suffering

      United Way -- Mobilizing communities to improve lives

      Salvation Army -- Preach the Gospel of Christ and meet human needs in

             His name

      Habitat Humanity -- Developing communities with people in need by

             building homes

3. The greatest for profit organizations have also been driven by a mission:

      Johnson and Johnson -- To alleviate pain and suffering, or its credo to put

             doctors, nurses and mothers at the top of its priority of service

      Hewlett Packard -- Technical excellence, but always to make a contribution

             to society

      Marriot -- Developing people and make every customer feel like a guest

4. Given a pull for corporate social responsibility, mission is exploding for many others as well – caring for the environment, caring for communities, and sustainable relationships with suppliers.

5. Why more important now and in coming years?  Customers and the talent that works in organizations are looking for meaning – authenticity and alignment of personal values with the values of institutions that employ them or serve them. Greater competition raising the stakes for this.

6. Business value of mission – for attracting and motivating the best talent, and establishing a brand identity for customers. Increasingly urgent in the era of ever more fierce global competition for for-profits.

7. At the same time, non-profits must both strengthen their sense of mission for the same reason – talent, donors, alignment of stakeholder – and adopt more and more of the for-profit skills of discipline, accountability, and getting measurable results.

8. So you have the two sectors, for profit and non-profit, historically very separate starting to emulate one another, and in many ways merge.  More for profits trying to articulate and live by a purpose, rally around a mission; more non-profits strengthening, complementing their sense of mission with performance discipline.

9. But mission is a double edged sword.  It can be used by for profits not as an engaging and motivating identity but simply two-dimensional marketing gloss, which can backfire leading people to become more cynical and less likely to work for or buy products. And for non-profits, an excuse for accepting second rank talent, or looking away when there is poor performance –“he’s one of us, so it’s ok if the job isn’t done that well”. Both sectors will have to sharpen their adherence to mission, and align it as a motivator and spiritual meaning for the enterprise; but, balance with hard-edged accountability and translation of mission to real results with real market impact.
10. What’s needed in this post modern world, as sectors merged and importance of mission grows is a “soft heart” and “hard head” working together.