Which is most important – mission, core values, or vision?
I was reading another post by Michael Hyatt this morning, and it struck a cord with what we do at Dialect and why I wanted to start the company. Michael was asked a simple question in an interview: “Which is most important – mission, core values, or vision?”
Michael answered that they are all equally important and interconnected. They are distinguishable but inseparable. You can read the post here.
Then the comments came rolling in. One comment on Michael’s post says that he has heard that values are defined first. Another person was more animated about the need for values to come first.
In my experience, leaders start from many places. We’ve done work with companies were the leader sees purpose as being the glue for everything else. In other situations, we’ve had leaders emphasize shared values and the strategy. In other situations we’ve seen leaders who start with strategy and return later to what it will look like when they get there (vision) and what beliefs and behaviors will be necessary to accomplish it (values).
What do you start with at your company?
Leading from the middle
I had lunch recently with an executive who left a very successful company after helping them grow both the top and bottom line. I asked him why he left and he said, “It’s so hard to lead from the middle.” He went on to explain that though he liked the president of the company as a person, the lack of direction was more than he could tolerate.
This story illustrates why great people often leave companies who need them. I’ve heard the same idea described in different ways. For instance, another senior person who left a great company said “I just didn’t see a future I could get excited about.” Read more
