Mission and Values
I was going through old files the other day and came across some notes I had made. These covered my business mission and core values as I created and stated them when I started doing business in the mid 1990s.
Mission Statement
Be happy and cause happiness
That is a very simple and direct statement and I hope that over the ensuing years, I was able to cause happiness for my customers and everyone I worked with. I also hope that I continue with this mission statement in my personal life as well.
Core Values
Competence
Do things well and efficiently
Understanding
Strive to understand people, systems, situations, and life.
Objectivity
Remove or at least reduce egocentricity. This is important of understanding and competence.
Collaboration
Others exist and must be included as stakeholders in all projects. Success in an endeavor is not the completion alone but the resulting creation of happiness. Without collaboration, this becomes impossible.
Adaptability
Easily and quickly abandon failure and consistently follow the path of what works.
Integrity
To thine own self, remain true. Do not sacrifice this mission or values in order to make ephemeral gains.
Conclusion
Honestly, I really like these even today. I do hope that I was able to follow this mission and stick to those values. I will try to keep them in mind as I move forward with my life. I think that they are just as worthwhile for me as an individual as for the businesses I created.