Mission: Making Progress Towards Your Vision

Section 2 Mission: Making progress towards your vision

What is a Mission?

Now that you've clarified your "why" and purpose through your Vision, it’s time to focus on your Mission. Your Mission answers the question “How.” How will you reach, impact, and ultimately achieve your Vision? It is your declaration to the world, this is the path we will take to realize our ideal future state.

While there are many ways to achieve a Vision, your Mission is where you highlight what makes you and your business unique. It’s your approach, methods, and commitment to executing your Vision.

Why is a Mission important?

While your Vision motivates and inspires you and your team for the long journey ahead, your Mission provides a tangible roadmap for how you’ll get there. It helps identify your highest priorities and clarifies the action steps needed to move forward. With a clear Mission, setting milestones and goals becomes easier, as it directs your efforts towards real progress.

Paired with your Vision, the "why" behind your business, your Mission becomes the path that drives progress. From here, everything flows. It organizes your efforts and brings clarity to you and your team.

As Yoda scolded Luke Skywalker, “All his life has he looked away, to the future, to the horizon. Never his mind on where he was, hmm? What he was doing.” The Empire Strikes Back

Vision without Mission keeps you dreaming about the future at the expense of acting in the present. However, Mission without Vision keeps you working hard today but without direction for tomorrow. This is why both are essential.

Mission and Progress

With just a Vision, there are countless paths you could take, and it becomes difficult to know where to start. This is where your Mission steps in. By adding a Mission to your Vision, you reduce distractions and narrow your focus. The act of choosing your Mission means eliminating numerous options and honing in on the paths that will create the greatest impact.

One of the most powerful benefits of a clear Mission is its ability to identify potential roadblocks before you encounter them. It provides enough flexibility to pivot when needed and helps you avoid the trap of analysis paralysis, where too many options leave you stuck in inaction.

Imagine you're headed to the beach for a vacation, but you find yourself stuck in traffic. You don’t turn around and head back home or plan a brand-new vacation. You simply adjust your route. Knowing your destination (Vision) and the method to get there (Mission) allows you to adjust and stay focused on reaching your goal.

A strong Mission also helps you prioritize great things over good things. While it’s fun to stop at Buc-ee’s, you don’t stay there long because you have a beach to get to.

Mission and the Believer

God has uniquely gifted you with talents and abilities to fulfill the Great Commission, and the beauty of this is that there are countless ways to share the Gospel and make Him known!

Throughout the Bible, we see a variety of people whom God used to advance His vision. Each of them had a personal mission that aligned with God’s greater plan. Adam was called to be fruitful and multiply. Noah was tasked with building an ark. Abraham was called to follow God and settle in a new land. Moses led God's people out of Egypt. David was anointed to lead Israel as king. Elijah called Israel back to God. John the Baptist prepared people’s hearts for Jesus. Jesus Himself died for our sins. Paul was sent to share the Gospel with the Gentiles.

Each of these individuals had their own missions based on their unique skills and time in history, yet they all worked towards God’s vision for humanity. Likewise, you can use your unique skills and interests to reach people in ways that no one else can. You might be called to share the gospel to unreached people groups or to build a business that creates jobs and supports families. No matter our individual vision and mission, we all fall under God's greater vision.

Ephesians 2:10 reminds us: "For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Having a vision aligned with God’s purpose is powerful and exciting, but it can also be intimidating. When you're unsure of how to achieve or contribute to that vision, it's easy to become discouraged or fearful.

As Joshua 1:9 encourages us: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Because of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s vision for us, we have a hope that can endure all kinds of hardship. We know how the story ends. However, that does not remove the responsibility God has given us to share the Gospel with the world. By understanding your mission of how you can uniquely contribute to sharing the Gospel, you can take action with purpose and without fear!

Mission Exercises

These exercises will help you create a mission and craft a clear mission statement. Having a defined Mission boosts your productivity by keeping your focus on the tangible actions you need to take in the present to achieve the vision you want in the future. A clear Mission sharpens your understanding of the most critical problems to solve and helps you identify the daily action steps that will move you forward.

Exercise 1: Hedgehog Concept (Jim Collins, Good To Great)

The Hedgehog Concept, introduced by Jim Collins in Good to Great, illustrates the difference between being good at many things and being great at one. A fox, with its many talents, constantly tries different strategies, but a hedgehog wins by mastering just one: rolling into a ball to protect itself. Despite the fox’s abilities, the hedgehog’s singular focus ensures its survival. The lesson? Focusing on what you can do exceptionally well often leads to long-term success.

“Those who built the good-to-great companies were, to one degree or another, hedgehogs. They used their hedgehog nature to drive toward what we came to call a Hedgehog Concept for their companies. Those who led the comparison companies tended to be foxes, never gaining the clarifying advantage of a Hedgehog Concept, being instead scattered, diffused, and inconsistent.” Jim Collins, Good to Great

This exercise will help you distinguish between what you can be good at and what you can be great at. What you can be great at is your greatest opportunity to make progress towards your vision. In many cases, identifying this greatest opportunity will lead you to discover your mission.

Instructions:

Draw 3 circles that intersect together
In each circle answer the following questions
- What can you be the best in the world at?
- What will people pay you for? (economic engine)
- What are you deeply passionate about? (Use your Vision as your passion)

For more a more in-depth look at these questions check out the Jim Collins Website.

In the space that intersects between the 3 circles, write down what answers all 3 questions.
Save these answers so that you can use them below with your Mission Statement.

From Good to Great by Jim Collins

Exercise 2: Mission Statement

What is a mission statement? A mission statement is a concise statement that declares how you will achieve your vision.

Vision and Mission Statement Examples:

Tesla

Vision: Accelerating the World's Transition to Sustainable Energy

Mission: We’re building a world powered by solar energy, running on batteries and transported by electric vehicles.

Shopify

Vision: Making Commerce Better for Everyone

Mission: We help people achieve independence by making it easier to start, run, and grow a business.

Anchor Coaching

Vision: Increasing Business Ministries Across the Globe

Mission: We amplify resources to share the Gospel by coaching and equipping entrepreneurs.

Now it's time to craft your Mission Statement. Make sure you have your Vision Statement and the results from your Hedgehog Concept exercise. Remember, whatever falls in the center of your Hedgehog Concept is where your business can be great. These are your greatest opportunities to impact your vision.

Instructions:

Set a timer for 3 minutes.
List as many potential mission statements as you can. Use the question, “How can I best contribute or make progress towards my vision?” to guide your answers.
To help you get started, use the following format:
We [achieve outcome that impacts your vision] by [the method you achieve that outcome].
After 3 minutes, select your top 3 mission statements that resonate most with you.
Rewrite or restate each mission statement at least 3 times in as few words as possible.

By the end, you should have three potential mission statements. Evaluate which one aligns best with your Vision.

What’s next?

Prioritization and Distractions

In our next section, we will discuss the importance of identifying your most important tasks. You will get resources on how to prioritize your task list and how to remove distractions from your day.

Subscribe to receive updates for our next section, Prioritization and Distractions

Resources

Books

Good to Great, Jim Collins

Online Resources

Jim Collins Website

If you need more guidance to determine what your vision is for your business, reach out to Jacob@anchorcoaching.co or even better book a quick call on my calendar.

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