Why doesn't anyone care about mission, vision and value statements?

Every company is proud of its mission, vision and values. So much so, that they display them on their walls, on their websites, and even in beautiful PowerPoint presentations on welcome days. And yet, no one is interested in how they communicate all these fine words. Not their customers, not their candidates, not their employees.

Don't get me wrong, it's not so much that they don't care about mission, vision and values statements. It's rather that the majority will retain almost none of them, or fail to connect with them.

Nuance.

We often see the same mistakes in business:

• A mission as long as a Martha Stewart recipe

• An assignment you hear little or nothing about

• No link between mission, objectives and employees' work

• Values we love, but which are the same as many other companies

• Inability to embody and live the chosen values

Here are 5 things to think about if you want to have a greater impact.

1) Get back to WHY!

Why does the company exist in the first place? (If the answer is to make money, look harder). What people want to know is why they get up in the morning, and what drives the team and the company, day after day. THAT is inspiring. Knowing why we do one thing rather than another, and seeing the results of our work, that's meaningful.

3 ways to take action

• Share with recruits a short introductory presentation outlining the major milestones since the company was founded. The challenges overcome, the major successes, and how we came to select the company's values. Summary: understand where you're coming from to know where you're going.

• Use the one pager plan (to find out more about this tool, click here). Basically, this involves condensing on a single page the elements that make up the company's DNA: vision, brand promise, values, 3-year objectives, in short, everything that needs to be embodied. Tip: why not provide a blank canvas for newcomers to fill in in their own words? There's no better way to encourage information retention. 

• Create a culture book. Also known as a manifesto by some, this is a tool for recording the DNA and essence of a company's culture in a short or long compendium. It can be used for recruiting purposes, but also to build loyalty and strengthen employees' sense of belonging. Need some inspiration or concrete examples? Here are 3: Bon boss, Poka, Levio.

2.repeat, repeat, repeat!

No, just because you've talked about the mission or vision on orientation day doesn't mean it's going to be memorable. Just like with kids, you have to repeat. All. the. time. All. the. time.

3 examples of when to iterate the message

• During integration

• During stay interviews

• One-on-one (individual manager-employee meetings)

• At strategic meetings

3. keep it simple

If an employee can't quickly and simply explain the company's mission to his or her grandmother, it's time to go back to the drawing board. At Winston, we suggest the exercise of reducing the company's mission or big dream to its simplest expression. As an added bonus, we can even try to make the message a little more bold to capture attention and provoke emotion.

2 concrete examples

• [Company name] wants to position itself as the world's most humane company in [name the sector].

• [Company name] wants to make a significant impact on [name number] customers by [specify date].

4.focus on uniqueness

A company's unique and distinctive value should not be shared by 274,000 other companies. What is consistent with the company's business? That's the link that needs to be made.

5. Making connections

Yes, you have to repeat, but above all you have to seize every possible opportunity to create meaning in employees' daily lives. That's when it becomes clear. And clarity means ease of integration into daily life, and thus of living according to the mission, vision or values.

3 key moments to make connections

• During interviews (job purpose versus mission)

• During moments of recognition ("thanks to your involvement, we've been able to achieve [name the achievement], which brings us closer to our big dream of [name the big dream or goal]").

• When assessing performance

The moral of the story is that if you want to touch people's hearts, inspire them or, better still, mobilize them to be part of a great adventure, you have to connect with them. And to get there, there's no detour: you have to put in the energy, but above all, the time.