How and why we fail when trying to define who we are and what we’re trying to do
Mission statements have a fascinating history — like most things related to business and self-development that have become buzzwords today.
They became popular in the 1970s and 1980s when Peter Drucker promoted them as an important aspect of business management, but they were introduced much earlier — back in the 1500s.
“There is nothing as useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all. “ — Peter Drucker
Missions were all about being “sent” to do something, as the Jesuits did in the 1500s, sending members of their community abroad to create more followers of the Christian faith.
These people were in the community, they were passionate, and they were led by something bigger than ourselves — all things I can safely say we want for ourselves and our organizations today.
“The thing I learned is that you don’t invent your mission, you detect it. You uncover it, as it were.”― Stephen R. Covey, How to Develop Your Personal…