Operations: The End Result

“The Best coaches know what the end result looks like. The poor coaches do not. Whether it is an offensive play, defensive coverage, or just some part of the organization, if you do not know what the end result looks like, you cannot get there. We all have drafts, training camps, and practices. The only difference is good coaches know what they want.” —Vince Lombardi

Great businesses seem to rely and thrive on the quote above, made famous by the great coach Vince Lombardi. However, it is important that your leaders and team members know and fully understand what it is your company is working towards. We are coming into a new year and for many that means creating your business plans for the future, whether that means tomorrow, next month, next year or forever! This is where having a strong and meaningful vision, mission and purpose comes into play. In order to create these, it is important to identify who and what your company stands for, as well as understand the difference between a mission and vision statement.

First, you cannot “set” organizational values — you can only discover them. Nor can you “install” new core values into people. Core values are not something people “buy in” to. People must be predisposed to holding them. Joe Cirulli, our owner and founder, often reminds me that it is extremely difficult and often impossible to get people to share our core values. Rather, we need to find the people who already share these values and teach them the business afterwards. Only after you are able to identify what your company’s core values are, is when you may be able to move on to identifying the vision and mission of your business.

As Simon Sinek said, “Most companies’ vision and mission statements are useless. Whereas a good vision statement can inspire loyalty, hard work and innovation, most of the framed statements hanging on the walls of businesses are nothing more than a description of what the company does.”

The difference between a good company mission and vision statement is simple really — the mission statement should focus on the company’s present state, whereas a vision statement is focusing on the company’s future. It is what you are working towards, and not what they expect to do right now. Jim Collins describes creating your company’s vision best when he broke it down into the following three parts:

1. An organization’s fundamental reason for existence beyond just making money (often called its mission or purpose),
2. Its timeless unchanging core values, and
3. Huge and audacious — but ultimately achievable — aspirations for its own future (I like to call these BHAGs, or Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Of these, the most important to great, enduring organizations are its core values.

Realize and identify who you are and your core values as a company, and take a look at your company’s mission and vision statements. Remember, a good vision statement can inspire loyalty, hard work and innovation, with the end result always in mind.

Adrian Antigua is the operations manager for Gainesville Health and Fitness in Tioga, Fla. Formerly a desk manager, Antigua is heavily involved in customer service and staff training. For questions on operations, e-mail Antigua at AdrianA@ghfc.com.