The Power of Three (Wendy Samson and Curt Swenson, 2016)
Do you know your mission statement? Do any of your employees know it? Many organizations spend time and money developing a mission statement that subsequently gets stuffed into a drawer somewhere, only to be pulled out once a year for annual reports or strategic planning sessions. What if your mission statement was so memorable that all of your employees knew it and could share it? Why would that be important? Is it even possible?
Louis Davenport, original builder, owner and manager of the luxurious, turn of the century Davenport Hotel in Spokane, Washington had it right with his mission statement because he understood and used The Power of Three. “In all things,” he wrote, “the hotel sincerely tries so well to please its guests that they will be glad they came, sorry to leave and eager to return.” This mission statement still guides the hotel today. Every one of Mr. Davenport’s staff members, including the cleaning staff, the laundresses and the maintenance workers knew this purpose and could share it, both because it was meaningful and because of its memorable use of a simple set of three concepts.
Let’s talk about The Power of Three technique by understanding that the number three (3) truly resonates in the lives of human beings. Consider:
We use the composition of three in art and photography
We instinctively start to sway and move when we here a waltz in three (3) quarter time
We decorate our tables using three objects as it is more aesthetically pleasing
We promote and market using three themes because people can more easily remember three
We write essays using an intro, body and conclusion
We design our speeches with three main points, in order for the concepts to stick
We work toward a three-legged stool of funding in our organizations for stability purposes
We use the number three ritualistically within many faiths and cultures
FutureSYNC International uses The Power of Three technique to help organizations develop a memorable mission statement that can be shared daily.
When you and all of your team members can easily retain the mission statement, you are more likely to:
1) Understand your fit and purpose within the organization;
2) Feel more unified with your fellow team members, because everyone has a clear and
agreed upon target;
3) Know when you might need to “get off the bus”, if the mission is not something you
can get behind or care about;
4) Share the mission with others regularly, thereby acting as a positive and
knowledgeable representative of your organization to the public; and
5) Be a more engaged and contributive employee, operating in alignment with the organization’s purpose.
Do you know your mission? Do any of your employees know it? How clear is your target? Let FutureSYNC come alongside you and help you to craft a simple, three-pronged mission statement that you and your team members can get behind and will be proud to share with others.