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CHAPTER 13: CREATING VISION AND STRATEGIC DIRECTION 399
personal dreams into a shared vision for the organization. As one successful top
leader put it, “My job, fundamentally, is listening to what the organization is
35
trying to say, and then making sure it is forcefully articulated.” Another suc-
cessful leader refers to leadership as “discovering the company’s destiny and
having the courage to follow it.” 36

Mission

Mission is not the same thing as a company’s vision, although the two work
together. The mission is the organization’s core broad purpose and reason for exis- Mission
Mission
the organization’s core broad

tence. It defines the company’s core values and reason for being, and it provides a the organization’ s core broad
purpose and reason for existence
basis for creating the vision. Whereas vision is an ambitious desire for the future, purpose and reason for existence
mission is what the organization “stands for” in a larger sense. James Collins
compares Zenith and Motorola to illustrate the importance of a solid organiza-
tional mission. Both Zenith and Motorola were once successful makers of televi-
sions. Yet while Zenith stayed there, Motorola continued to move forward—to
making microprocessors, integrated circuits, cellular phones, modems, and other
products—and became one of the most highly regarded companies in the country.
The difference is that Motorola defined its mission as “applying technology to

benefi t the public,” not as “making television sets.” 37

What Mission Does
Whereas visions continue to grow and change, the mission persists in the face
of changing technologies, economic conditions, or other environmental shifts. It
serves as the glue that holds the organization together in times of change and
guides strategic choices and decisions about the future. The mission defi nes the
enduring character—the spiritual DNA—of the organization and can be used as a
leadership tool to help employees fi nd meaning in their work. 38
Recall the discussion of intrinsic rewards from Chapter 8. When people
connect their jobs to a higher purpose, the work itself becomes a great motiva-
tor. The Gallup organization’s Q12 study, also discussed in Chapter 8, has found
that when employees believe the company’s mission makes their job important,
they are typically more engaged with their work, feel a greater sense of pride
and loyalty, and are more productive. Exhibit 13.4 compares the Gallup results
for those who agree that the mission makes their job important to those who
do not feel that the mission of the company makes their job important. The
differences are quite striking. For example, 60 percent of respondents who
agreed that the mission makes their job important reported feeling engaged
with their work, whereas none of the respondents who disagreed felt engaged with
their work. Sixty-six percent would recommend their company’s products or
services, compared to only 20 percent of those who did not believe the mission
made their job important. 39
Typically, the mission is made up of two critical parts: the core values and
the core purpose. The core values guide the organization “no matter what.”
As Ralph Larsen, former CEO of Johnson & Johnson, explained it, “The core
values embodied in our credo might be a competitive advantage, but that is not
why we have them. We have them because they defi ne for us what we stand
for, and we would hold them even if they became a competitive disadvantage
40
in certain situations.” Johnson & Johnson’s core values led the company, for