We started going down the path of defining all the tools and resources it would take to help our makers be successful but quickly decided that at this stage we didn’t have enough information to do it justice. Rather, our effort was better spent thinking about what it was going to take to incite our makers. Once they got going, they would help us define and create the tools and resources they would need to be successful.
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.