Tips for a Creating a Compelling Mission Statement
By Lisa Hochgraf
You can’t always be the best, so be really great at being you, Michael Neill, CSE, told attendees of CUES Symposium: A CEO/Chairman Exchange. To do this, credit unions need mission statements that the whole organization can rally around.
“When you have a compelling mission, every single thing ties back to it,” explained Neill, president of Michael Neill and Associates, Atlanta, CUES’ partner in ServiStar.
For example, a credt union implementing a change should talk with employees about the need for the new system in terms of the mission. A mission-driven CEO might say to staff, “In our continuing effort to [FILL IN MISSION], we’re going to [FILL IN PLANNED ACTION] so that [FILL IN REASON, DESCRIBED IN TERMS OF FULFILLING THE MISSION].
In the case of a new loan system, this might come out like this: “In our continuing effort to improve the financial lives of our members, we’re going to implement a new loan system so that we can save members time and money by serving their loan needs more effiiciently.”
When an organization does this, “you’ll be amazed how much more buy-in you’ll get,” Neill said. “And you’ll get much more advice on how to implement it.”
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