Episode 8. Defining your mission, vision and values without the w*nk

Brad flies solo (with the help of producer,  Amy) this episode and asks how you can define your mission, vision and values with meaning, and without the pomp and group-think.  We know it's now the norm for organisations to have these three key strategic definitions. But, how do we avoid them being written but not believed?

Transcript

[00:00:00] 

Brad: Welcome to another podcast. 

With your host, Brad Bellette, the CEO. 

Based in little old Alice Springs, but all over the world. Our Invisible Skyscrapers podcast.

Today I'm joined by Amy who may well cough during this podcast, but don't be concerned and Amy's going to ask me a few questions. 

So if you listened to the last podcast, I was just pretty much insane me in a room talking by myself. 

But today we talking about finding your, why.

How to define a vision, mission and values without the wank and we don't really love the wank too much, but, um, that's what we're doing today, we're talking about how do you find that vision for your organisation and how do you find your value values without writing a mission statement that nobody reads. [00:01:00] 

So, what do you reckon Amy. 

Amy: yes, I think defining your organisation, mission and vision without the pompousness. 

Brad: Yup. 

Amy: And staying true to yourself 

Brad: yep. 

Amy: Is key and that's key to your success and that of HutSix. 

Brad: Yep. 

Amy: So when you distill it, why is it so important for your organisation? 

Brad: I know I was just saying off air before that it's important because then you truly believe what you're doing, you know, and I think to have a passionate team, particularly the HutSix space for all the things that we do is finding, defining that makes what you do give so much more value.

Because there's one thing to charge per hour. It's one thing to make a profit but it's quite another thing to say to yourself, well, What we do is making a difference and defining that I think's really important.

Now I don't think, I don't think it matters for any organisation um, I think all of us need to know that because it's important. 

Amy: Yes and so, what was the process? You've used to [00:02:00] create that for HutSix and why did you deviate from the norm and what result did you get from that? 

Did it work? 

Brad: It didn't really happen straight away. 

HutSix was born out of a website business, that we just did your garden variety websites and a bit of IT and then we started about 12 years ago building a CRM for a national nursing organisation and even then we weren't convinced. 

And in intervening years, we weren't really convinced of the direction of what we were doing. So really what's come about is through defining that mission and that vision has come about in the last probably five years and what we've seen is very real examples of it. 

We've seen where are systems we've built for organisations actually created incredible value. Amazing value and then you, you sort of look at that and you go, well, what's the secret sauce?

What's behind that why? 

And what is it that we're trying to say? 

And I think defining that vision, mission and values, [00:03:00] without the wank, is really what we did and that's what changed. 

We actually looked at what we did and the measurable outcomes that we had and went... wow! Is that really what we've done? How can we put that into a sentence? 

How can we put that into... dare I say... a mission statement, which I'm not that big on, Just quietly. 

But our mission, should we wish to accept it? As they say in Mission Impossible, is simply that, it is simply what our core value is and why we exist. 

Now having that core value is important because all the other things happen around that core value whether that's, uh, the people you actually engage with.

The people that work in the organisation and at the end of the day, the financial sustainability of the organisation all comes around that one or two core values. 

That's why I think it's super important as an organisation to say to yourself, what is our core value? What do we stand for? 

And you might be somebody like Anglicare, Lutheran Care, [00:04:00] or you might be a pizza shop. 

We all have core values and we all have a mission and a vision and, I, really, I think too many people, write mission statements and don't actually believe it because it's something they have to do. 

And I think that's the difference between all of the way that you do it and that's the difference and that's how you steer away from, in this next sort of part of it, you know, what is the wank factor and how should you be aware of it and how should you steer clear of it? 

I think that's how you steer clear of it. 

I think you be original. 

I think you be authentic and I think that you say to yourself, is this a real me? 

That just because you're the CEO or not the CEO, or you're a business owner, It doesn't mean you have to wear a different face and it doesn't mean you have to be not authentic to yourself. 

I think it's important to be authentic to yourself and I think that's what I've learned, in this process, is that being authentic to yourself and being who you are is super [00:05:00] important because that, you know, vulnerability that you can show within your business or organisation about who you are and who your organisation is. 

You align with other people and you attract people who work for you and particularly, you know, these days with the lack of people uh, in Australia, I think having that aligned vision/ value and aligned idea of who you are, I think it's super important. 

I think that that's what you need and you need to define it and that's what creates the difference between vision, mission, and values. 

The difference is... is what do you want to be in five years? Your vision.

Who do you want to be? What is your organisation going to be doing in five years time? and working backwards from that. 

What is your mission? You know, what are you going to try and do? 

Are you trying to reduce the amount of plastic in the ocean? 

Are you trying to save the world? 

Particularly in HutSix's case we're trying to re-engineer the idea of IT. 

Make it possible that IT isn't about learning the process, it's about us [00:06:00] creating systems and empowering people is what we do.

To make their lives better, to make reporting easier, to make funds more available through government departments, whatever it happens to be. 

So our mission is about creating a much more level playing field and closing the gap. 

Closing the gap on literacy, closing the gap on ability and giving value back to people, through owning their own digital sovereignty. 

Brad: Now that also comes back to values, you know, the values that I have in that [00:07:00] space is about empowerment.

It’s about that idea of giving back, that those Rights to that information and their IP. 

They're all the differences. 

So when you're talking vision, mission and values, You know, breaking it down and don't-

I would thoroughly recommend that people don't, who are listening to this, don't sit down and do group think, I think one of the biggest problems with mission statements is that we do group think. 

Then we create mission statements, which are non offensive. 

That everybody agrees to.

Now, really, you should have an opinion. 

Whatever your tagline is, whatever your mission statement is, whatever your vision, your values. They should be based upon having an opinion. 

Now group think in my mind is not that. 

It's what everybody feels comfortable with. 

So make sure when you're working out your mission, vision, and values, that's how you get rid of the wank. 

That's how you stop this idea that, [00:08:00] it has to be smooth and roll off the tongue and those sorts of things. 

Maybe, we'll challenge everybody listening to this podcast. 

Make it awkward. 

Make it a challenge. 

Make it um, outrageous. 

Think about these things and make them what you want. 

Don't make them what everybody thinks, because that's why they become 'wanky' and that's why they become a problem. 

That nobody believes cause how can you believe it? 

How can you say to yourself? Well, I think this is great. 

But if you've got a room of 20 people and they all go well, you know, we all agree to this and this is our mission statement. 

Well, I can guarantee you, nobody in that room will feel evangelistic about it. 

Nobody will champion it and it will get stuck in a drawer and it'll stay there and it'll definitely be a whole bunch of wank. 

Because nobody will believe it. 

Be outrageous. 

Be authentic.

Be original. 

Because that's what makes all the difference. 

[00:09:00] Now, some examples of them being used and useful. 

Well, I would say for example, It's a company that I started 25 years. 

Now, I basically would say our mission statement was, "we'll make you famous". 

People said to me at the time, oh, that's a bit outrageous, a bit out there, it's a bit boastful. 

Now truly with my other company, it was a case of, if you're really good at something and you come to us and you have a really good product and a really good company, why shouldn't you be known for it. 

Essentially, putting a bit of show business on it. 

Our mission statement was, our tagline was, "we'll make you famous" and every single decision that we made was based around that type of idea. 

How do we get people to know who you are? 

How do we get to make sure that they, they know you do a good thing? And so the mission statement was all based around that. 

And all the decisions and all the values were all based around that idea of putting it out there.

To say we are good at this, we're not boasting but [00:10:00] we are very, very good at that.

Truly, you need to be able to take your mission statement and wear it on a t-shirt and be proud to wear it on a t-shirt, I think you've kind of nailed it and I think that's how you've defined your vision, mission and values. 

Sometimes these things don't happen straight away and sometimes just like with HutSix it kind of happened a bit out of the blue and all of a sudden we realised, what our mission was in the world. 

What our values were and it's not that we didn't know before. 

But we realised that actually what we believed was actually what we do and that's super important, in finding that and defining that and without sounding like it belongs to somebody else.

I would also say the differences between the Why and you as an individual well maybe, maybe you don't need to define that.

The idea of being able to print it out on a t-shirt is a good way to do it. 

Maybe your business and organisation, is you, it is your values.

It is your mission.

It is who [00:11:00] you are and show it, do it.

You don't have to hide behind a large sign, saying this is who we are.

It doesn't matter how big you are and how small you are.

I think you honestly have to be able to believe it, stand up in front of it.

This is who we are.

This is our mission.

These are our values.

This is the direction and be able to smile afterwards and say no, no it's all without the gloss, all without the wank, as we would say .

If you want to be that person, be that person now and define that idea right now and then you will have a, vision, mission and values without the wank. 

Has this struck a chord? 

Is your vision and mission truly aligned or does it need some work? That's the end of this episode, thanks for listening and we'll be in your ears again soon.