The “Wow” vs. the “Now”
Earlier today I had a meeting at a local Panera Bread with Larry Bradley, founder of Kindred Minds Enterprises in Omaha. Nebraska. Larry has had a rich career in the army and is now stepping out into the speaking industry. He is the author of Neither Liberal nor Conservative be, a brilliant book that addresses polarized politics in the country. Please visit his website and take a look at what he has to offer - Kindred Minds Enterprises.
During our meeting I shared my vision for the Better Life Company with Larry and he was thrilled by the whole idea. One thing that Larry is doing so well is the transformation of vision into mission - moving from concept to execution. I picked his brain for almost two hours, logged onto the internet through Panera Bread’s wireless access and discussed a wide range of crucial elements that bring about organizational success, particularly in the start-up phase.
When I came back home I took some time to do my homework and revisit my meeting with him. As I sat in my living room thinking about it, I realized that I have a wow concept - my vision - but the true nature of my idea will only be revealed through the everyday execution of the now - my mission. I think it’s good that leadership experts in the recent past have highlighted the need for a solid overarching vision - Jim Collins calls it having a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). It would be great if more experts will go to the next level of clearly articulating the need for an impactful mission that is being executed with strategy and purpose. I refer to this as the difference between the “Wow” (Vision) and the “Now” (Mission).
At the Better Life Company we have clearly outlined both our vision and our mission. Our vision is to see a world in which people are fully empowered and are utilizing all their resources to empower others for a better life. Our mission, on the other hand, is to empower people with knowledge, skills and resources that will enlighten, encourage, equip, embolden and enable them to embody the better life. Our company philosophy can be found on the website through this link: Company Philosophy.
Now, what makes our wow meaningful are the core vlaues that we embody at the company. Our core values come from the word PERFECT and are:
People: We value the dreams, hopes and ambitions of people. We will do our best to cultivate greatness in every single person we come into contact with.
Empowerment: We value the success of the individual. We will do our best to ensure that personal potential is multiplied.
Responsibility: We value our obligation to live up to our vision and mission. We will do our best to constantly and consistently pursue our goals.
Fun: We value happiness in life and at work. We will create ways and systems that ensure we are having fun in everything we do.
Excellence: We recognize our role as leaders in society. We will demonstrate a high degree of excellence in everything that we do.
Commitment: We value the trust of our consumers. We will do our very best to ensure that we not only meet but also exceed expectations.
Teamwork: We value the need to work to be interdependent. We will work together as a team across, functions, departments, businesses and cultures.
The “wow” for any organization must be tied to the “now”. What binds our wow to our now is our company credo. The Better Life Company Credo simply states:
At the Better Life Company we believe that the day will come when people will be judged not by their physical strength nor the size of their bank accounts, but by the quality of their lives; by their response to opportunities to live a better life; by their ability to use their physical, mental and spiritual resources to make a better world; by their concern for the disadvantaged and the disempowered and by their utilization of their gifts, talents and resources in a prudent manner so as to live productively and meet the needs of other people. Better Life Company is a contribution towards that day.
