As life goes on, we can get off track from our mission. This happens for any number of reasons, whether becoming overwhelmed, a shift in funding, a lack of coherency with your direction or the outside world’s direction, a poorly executed plan or a lack of one all together. For whatever reason we get off track, the question is: How do we get back on track?
One step is to make sure your mission stays relevant. As time goes on, the world changes. One of my favorite quotes is “The only thing that is constant is change” by Heraclitus. Check in on the mission and make sure it is still relevant. A mission should say what benefit you are providing and who you are providing it to. If you have had the same mission, either personally or for your organization for the last 20 years, it probably needs an update. If your mission becomes irrelevant than either you are focusing on the wrong objectives or you aren’t focusing on anything and then you are going to drift and start making decisions based on the moment rather than the vision and the purpose of yourself or the organization. Sit down with your board or your circle of support and take a serious look at your mission, have a discussion about whether it still fits and change it if not. I caution though that a mission should not be a fluid that changes on a whim. If a mission statement is going to be changed, it should be a well thought out process that makes sense.
Another step when you are not meeting your mission is to be transparent about it. I cannot stress this enough! Talk about it, do not hide it, or pretend it is not true. If you do that, than you will not be able to take the steps to fix it and get back on track. You will continue to drift and if you drift long enough it could become almost impossible to make your way back. We all make mistakes and lose our way sometimes. It is OK and it is the sign of a good leader or strong person when you can claim your mistake and then create a plan on how to fix it and make sure you do not repeat it. Talking about it will help you brainstorm how to get back on track, it will bring people together to help make the plan about how to get back on track and assess how you got off track in the first place. You need support to be successful, so do not be afraid to hold yourself accountable and then ask for help. Plus, the old saying holds true: “Two heads are better than one”.
Finally, as mentioned, the best way to stop drifting after you have realized that you are is to create a comprehensive plan. Analyze how the drift began and possibly continued. Use that information to create a plan about how to get back on track and then how to stay there and not make the same mistakes again.
Does anyone else have suggestions about how to stay on track with your mission or to get back on track?
the mission passion 