The Mission Statement Book

The Mission Statement Book: 301 Corporate Mission Statements from America's Top Companies provides information on 301 of America's top companies.

You can find (when available):
1. The Name of the Company
2. Their Mission Statement -- may include vision, mission, goals and objectives or some combination of these
3. A Description of the Corporation
4. Address
5. Industry Category
6. Number of Employees
7. Size of Revenues
8. The Source of the Information

Using this resource allows you to find competitors to benchmark against. You can select companies in the same industry with a similar number of employees and similar size revenues. Then you can determine their strategic niche by reviewing their company's strategic descriptions.

For instance, say you want to compete in the software industry. And you decide to take on Microsoft. In fact, you want to pattern yourself after Microsoft. Then you would turn to page 396 in The Mission Statement Book . (Companies are listed in alphabetical order.)

Here you would find that Microsoft's Vision statement is nearly a page long. The first line would be what we would commonly refer to as a missions statement:

"A computer on every desk and in every home."

Microsoft elaborates on this statement for three paragraphs and then follows up with a paragraph of goals. These goals are related to product development and delivery, infrastructure development, infusion and diffusion of computer technology, and hiring practices. They end with a promise of putting "Information At Your Fingertips."

While you might not be able to compete with Microsoft in size or revenues, you can have a vision that is as big as theirs.

The Mission Statement Book includes information from companies in 34 industries. Some industries have only one representative, others have information from a couple of dozen firms.

They range in size from General Motors with 710,000 employees to Forest Oil Corporation with 187 employees. These companies represent 42 states and the District of Columbia.

Leadership and Futuring

As a follow up to our previous post on Visionary Leadership, here is a short little book by John R. Hoyle: Leadership and Futuring: Making Visions Happen

Hoyle helps us understand ways we can bring our vision into being. One of the principles of futuring is the notion that vision is one possible scenario for the future and there is no reason your vision should not be the eventual reality. Hoyle wants to help you make your vision the next reality.

He sets about his task in four ways. He discusses leaders who have influenced him. He discusses leaders he wishes he would have known. He discusses strategic planning for your vision. And he provides some practical exercises you can do to improve your vision and it's implementation.

The three leaders he knew were his 7th grade teacher, his major professor in the Ph.D. program and Dr. Paul B. Salmon, Executive Director of the American Association of School Administrators.

The three leaders he would like to have met were Jesus Christ, Joan of Arc and Winston Churchill.

Leadership and Futuring: Making Visions Happen was written by John R. Hoyle. Hoyle is a member of the World Future Society. He promotes this organization in his book. The Society teaches and promotes futuring. Futuring is "the act of seeing and feeling alternative futures that are either in the near (5-10 year), middle (11-20 year), or far (21-50) year future." (p. 20) The terms futuring and visioning can be used interchangeably.

As a futurist, he suggests some assumptions which can be used to guide our thinking as we develop a vision for the future of the organization:

Assumption #1 is we must begin now. Now is the time when we can work to change the course of action.

Assumption #2 is we must remain flexible. Unforeseen events transpire, false assumptions are made, alternative futures are available.

Assumption #3 is before agreeing on a preferred future course of action, talk to the people who must make it happen. Convince your stakeholders the future you suggest is the correct one to pursue.