Is Your Company Struggling? This May Be The Reason

Having worked with many companies from a global scale to startups, I have learned that regardless of the size of company, that the Mission, Vision, Values, and Culture (MVVC) are critical fundamental components to a company’s foundation… and success. Ask yourself?

• Can your employees describe what your Mission means or how they can support it?
• When you think of the MVVC for your company, do these provide guidance and direction to your employees?
• Do you endorse and live the MVVC or is it just something you put on your website as a placeholder for content?

In my experience in working with companies that are struggling or experiencing challenges, the lack of attention to these 4 items is a contributing factor as to why. Let’s break them down:

MISSION – It begins with the simple idea of WHY your company even exists and WHAT you bring to the marketplace. Essentially WHO the company is and its identity. The Mission should be clear, concise, strategic and motivate your employees, partners and customers. One of my favorite Mission statements was Nike when it started back in the 60’s. The Mission was simply ‘Crush Adidas’.

VISION – This is very important as it describes what the company is wanting to achieve or become, and is typically a long-term view. WHERE does the company want to be in 5, 10, 15 years? This is the old adage “begin with the end in mind”. When forming your Vision, be sure to consider a realistic and measurable goal.

VALUES – These describe what the company actually cares about or is important to the company. They are a set of standards and principles that your company holds in high regard and helps everyone understand what success looks like for your specific company.

CULTURE – I like to describe this as your “business” family. Think about the shared beliefs you have among your family, or certain behaviors that are inherent to your family. This works the same way in business. This is the compass showing how the company conducts business, how decisions are made, how it treats its employees, partners and customers, and so on. Of the 4 components, to me culture is the most important to the overall health of the company. 

If your company is struggling and you can’t figure out why, I suggest you revisit these 4 critical items. Try Changing Your Lens, and looking at your company through your customers’ eyes.

Ask yourself the simple question of why they do/did business with you versus your competitor?.

If you would like help with these critically important foundational components for your company, please reach out to me.