ASQ’s new CEO Bill Troy shared with us some insights about the power of a clear vision in his latest blog. This is always a fascinating topic; it is so easy to artificially write vision and mission statements. You can follow all the rules, mechanical guidelines, theories, and come with a nice statement, but as Bill states: is it clear? Is it giving you the focus you need to succeed? And, let me add, does the vision of your company is so transcendental to you that it gives you a meaningful reason to go to work every single day?
Check this next statement and see if it makes any sense to you…
The customer can count on us to proactively create best practice solutions to stay relevant in tomorrow’s world.
If you ever used Dilbert’s mission statement generator you know how easy it was to create fake visions and missions. This marvelous tool of the digital age was discontinued years ago. Caleb Morse, from Los Alamos National Laboratory, wrote a little piece of code that gives life back to the generator. I made some iterations until I got one that sounded good, even though it doesn’t mean much. Go ahead and generate your own statements here: http://cmorse.org/missiongen/.
Hopefully, your company is a different case and your daily job gives you meaning and not only a salary.
My assessment of a vision statement is very simple, I just read it and wait for my reaction, if it makes me say WOW!! I know it is a place I would gladly work for. And here is where it becomes tricky. We have to be honest and see if we connect or not. But we can’t connect, we can’t engage unless we have our own vision, not necessarily in the form of a statement. If I wanted to be the best clarinet player in the world (not my case) I don’t care how good Toyota or GM or Amazon purposes are. So my advice: gnōthi sauton (know thyself) before judging if a vision statement fits you or not.
ASQ GLOBAL AND THE MAKING OF A SHARED VISION
I’m feeling particularly good about a specific vision statement.
By making quality a global priority, an organizational imperative, and a personal ethic, ASQ becomes the community for everyone who seeks quality concepts, technology, or tools to improve themselves and their world.
If you are a member of ASQ you already know this. If you are not a member, follow my simple assessment above, if it makes you say WOW!! What are you waiting for?! Join us!
I have been a member of ASQ through three mutations. First I was a student member of the old ASQC (back in the early 90’s when I was a graduate student at UMass, Lowell). For those of you who may not know this, our organization was called ASQC (American Society for Quality Control from 1946 to 1997). Then I became a regular member of ASQ, the American Society for Quality. And now, I consider myself a member of ASQ Global, same society completely new reach.
I’m from Costa Rica (still dizzy from World Cup fever… Go Ticos!!!!). For years ASQ made me, and I’m sure most, if not all, its non-American members, fit in an abstract section called simply “International”. Section 2500 was our connection to the profession we loved and the organization we admired. The only problem, by 2001 ASQ had members in 122 countries and only one section to serve them. But that little section was the beginning of a change that we are now an important part of: ASQ Global.
By 2004, Costa Rica became the first section outside of North America under the now defunct figure of International Member Unit. Currently there are sections in 14 countries outside the US and Canada, some with multiple sections or LMCs (local member communities). There are also country counselors in 50 countries, sort a local ASQ ambassador. It is just the beginning and we have a lot of work to do.
For me, the most exciting thing about this vision is that it will be impossible for the staff at ASQ headquarters to make it real without all of us. Here is noble cause we can share, make quality a global priority, an organizational imperative and a personal ethic, please count me in.
