When we wrote our agenda prior to the retreat, little did we know that it would be aligning so perfectly with our purpose and mission statement. We spent this time thinking about the characteristics of the makers of movements, what it took to inspire and sustain them and what it would take to be successful.
The most successful companies and groups have a very strong grounding in their culture and it guides them in their decisions and unifies their people. For something as nebulous, far-reaching and, frankly, unpredictable as the making of movements, having a shared purpose and culture is critical. A shared culture will sustain you in difficult moments. It will uplift you when you need it most. And it will unite you as your movement grows.
No one wants to read a long mission statement full of trending buzz words that might sound good on paper but comes off disingenuous or contrived. Besides, a mission statement should try to be concise, memorable and easily recalled.
I picked up this little trick from an interview I had read with Steve Jobs who mentioned that when pondering a difficult question or challenge he spent a month or so doing nothing but thinking of questions.
With such a complex topic ahead of us we felt it was important to calibrate and share our perspectives and expectations.