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There are six building blocks to any business or organization that are critical to its longevity and for it to reach its ultimate potential. These components are defined briefly in this document but the one component that is most important is Values. Values absolutely have to be properly defined, articulated and modeled throughout the business or organization if long term growth and success is expected.

2 Vision, Mission and Values

2.1 Definitions

For the purposes of this document; Vision, Mission and Values are defined as follows:

Vision – A picture of the future which creates an ideal and unique image of what the organization will become. It must be presented passionately and believably and always modeled by the leaders of the organization.

If we don’t know who we are or where we’re going, how can we possibly know exactly what we should do today, and tomorrow? Vision is fundamental for ethical success. Tom Morris

From our most fundamental forms of thinking flow our attitudes, our emotions, our decisions, and our actions. With a powerful ethical vision directing all our other thoughts, we don’t need long lists of rules to guide us. Tom Morris

Where there is no vision, the people perish. Solomon

Mission – Defines exactly where you are going and what you are doing right now to attain the vision. This should include some key success factors and parameters that allow the organization to clearly see and measure success as the organization moves towards fulfilling the mission.

A mission cannot, and must not, be delegated to anyone except the people ultimately held accountable for it. In fact, a mission is the defining moment for a company’s leadership. Jack Welch

Values – Describes the behaviors that will get you from where you are now to achieving your mission and ultimately attaining the vision. These are the driving behaviors that will lead to successful outcomes.

A visionary company almost religiously preserves its core ideology, changing it seldom, if ever. Core values in a visionary company form a rock-solid foundation and do not drift with the trends and fashions of the day. Jim Collins and Jerry Porras

Management needs to ensure that the organization’s values are well articulated and modeled consistently. They must make sure there is a line of sight between each employee and what the organization is trying to achieve as defined through our mission and vision statements. Every employee should be able to readily see the link from what they are doing to the organization’s mission and vision. The progress towards the mission and vision needs to be measurable and observable.

Management needs to ensure that we are always modeling these values and that we do not throw our vision, mission and values into a binder and on a shelf somewhere. Remember that our actions speak louder than our words.

3 Thematic Goals, Objectives and Operational Requirements

3.1 Definitions For the purposes of this document; Thematic Goals, Objectives and Operational Requirements are defined as follows:

Thematic Goals – These goals are a rallying point for an organization to drive to completion an issue that is critical to achieving the mission and ultimately the vision of the organization.

Objectives – These are sub-steps that need to be completed in order to reach the thematic goal.

Operational Requirements – These are the basic requirements of any business to keep the doors open. These are business metrics like sales, profit targets, employee retention, etc. that must be maintained and expanded in order to keep the business viable.

How do these tie in with the company Vision, Mission and Values? Consider the analogy to a building.

Every building needs a strong foundation and the entire building structure depends on the stability and strength of this foundation. Similarly, Values form the foundation to a strong organization. If the values are not well grounded but are continually shifting, morphing and adapting then the organization that is built on these values will be unstable and in a constant state of disarray.

Once the foundation of a building has been properly constructed, the floor structure can be added. The floor structure allows the building to take shape on top of it. Without it, the external and internal walls cannot be constructed and the building will be non-functional. Similarly, the Operational Requirements of a business are built on top of the organizations Values. The Operational Requirements must be established and fulfilled or the business will not be viable.

Once a building’s floor structure is constructed, the external walls, internal walls, pillars and other load bearing structures can be constructed. Once these items are completed, the building is ready for any overhead beams that need to be installed. This is similar to Objectives. Objectives are required to be completed or realized before a Thematic Goal can be realized. They are the load bearing structures that are required before an overhead beam can be installed.

The overhead beams are analogous to a Thematic Goal. They cannot be installed until the Objectives (load bearing walls) are realized and are in place.

Once the overhead beams are installed in a building the trusses or roof structure can be completed. Similarly, once the Thematic Goals have been achieved, the Mission (the roof structure) becomes attainable. From here the organization’s Vision becomes attainable. The Vision can be analogous to a steeple or decorative roof feature that is the defining architectural feature for a building structure. Without having all of the other pieces of the building structure in place, the Vision will not be realized.

4 Conclusion

All of these things; Values, Operational Requirements, Objectives, Thematic Goals, Mission and Vision are crucial to the sustainability of any business but Values are critical. Without properly defined and stable Values, an organization will never be successful in the long term because a stable organization is not possible when built on an unstable foundation.