Cue the music (bum...bum...bum-bum...bum...bum...bum-bum), light the fuse, push play on the cassette player. {Play this Youtube video while you read this post to get the full effect.}
"Writing powerful, meaningful and useful mission and vision statements can be dangerous business. One false move and you could be stuck with a mish-mash of flowery language and hyperbole that leaves you meandering through your profession career with no clear direction and no end goals to work toward. Creating these statements will be difficult. You will be tempted to imitate some useless junk you came across on the Internet just to complete the assignment. Don't be lead astray! Do some self assessment to figure out what is really important to you as a professional. Rely on your team (cohort) to help you - they are the only people you can really trust. Work hard, revise, evaluate, revise again and you may just come up with something that will guide you on your professional journey and just might save the world!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to write a professional vision statement that has actual meaning and value. As always, should you or any member of your cohort be caught or killed during this exercise, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions. Good luck everyone. This blog will self-destruct in five seconds."
My apologies to Mission Impossible producer Bruce Geller and any of my cohort members who is too young to recall the original Mission Impossible TV series which ran from 1966-1973. Great stuff. If you've never seen it, it's worth grabbing a couple of episodes on Netflix. I've enjoyed the movie series with Tom Cruise, but nothing compares to the original TV series.
Lol! I am glad that you are able to keep a sense of humor while tackling something that can be tough. I hope that you just remember that the mission and vision statements can be best summed up in simple language that leaves no room for interpretation. For example, "I will use technology to enhance the education of the students in my school" could be your vision, and your mission could be that "I will continue exploring new technologies in order to give the students at my school the best chance of being successful." At least that is what I think, whether it is the case or not can be debated.
ReplyDeleteGreat use of humor! The mission statement was difficult for me also. Some people get their best ideas in the shower, some get the best ideas just before bed, I personally get my best ideas when swimming. Wherever it is that you do your best thinking, go there and get your vision.
ReplyDeleteI get some of my best ideas while driving. Unfortunately, I forget most of them by the time I reach my destination. I have to make better use of the voice memo feature on my phone.
DeleteSooo... something tells me that there was some trials and tribulations associated with the crafting of meaningful Vision and Mission Statements. I don't know how I am getting that idea... just something hidden deep in the undertones of your post. It would probably take me more time then I spent on my initial Vision and Mission Statements to actually write a wittier comeback... so then... thanks for the humor!
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