Sometimes I think a mission statement isn't worth the keystrokes you type them with.
But then I'm reminded of what a well thought out mission statement does.
A great mission statement limits your choices.
Think about it. Running an arts organization, hell . . . running a life . . . is about making choices.
Should we perform at this venue or that?
That play or this play?
This dancer or that dancer?
That gallery or the other gallery?
Sometimes those decisions are easy.
Sometimes they are incredibly difficult.
If your mission statement is solid, it should be your guide through those tough choices. That's why the vague, pointless mission statements that populate our field are so harmful . . .
They don't help you to make the hard choices.
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When things go wrong in an organization, it doesn't go all to hell at once.
Normally things slip apart one bad decision at a time.
Your mission statement should be a tool to prevent that from happening.
So here's your question for da day.
Look at your mission statement and ask yourself:
"Does this statement help us to make better decisions?"
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