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same information at the same time and give people a chance to publicly
demonstrate their commitment. See “Our mission” below.

Summary

I The vision serves the same purpose as did the banner on ancient
I battlefields. It provides a rallying point for all when things look
I bad. If it does not do this, it is nothing but empty words. Be sure
I to ask enough questions to develop an inspirational vision.

Step four – the mission

While some firms are increasingly seeking to replace the mission state-
ment with something more “modern”, others are simply trying to ensure
that the mission statement is more than a series of fine sounding words. In
fact, both are trying to achieve the same outcome. Both are attempting to
create a living, breathing, useful tool to which their people will refer and
which is capable of communicating what the organization is really about.
We have two pathways to a single goal and each is equally valid.

Let me start with the “mission that is not a mission statement”. Some
years ago Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) began to advise their
clients to do something other than write and publish a grandiose mission
statement. They suggested instead that the client company should list all
the key values that drove their business and that all major decisions should
be taken on the basis of how well the values would be satisfied. In my com-
pany, we use the same system. Any major decision is subjected to how well
a decision to act would satisfy our key values. If, for example, I were to sug-
gest to my colleagues on the board that I should set up an office on a beach
in the Maldives I would be required to indicate to them in considerable
detail how such a move would:

n Make the best possible use of the best people.
n Offer superior client service at the most economic cost.
n Be global in scope and application.
n Add to life-long learning – just-in-time for all our people.
n Be frugal with our resources.
n Avoid building “monuments to bankruptcy”.
n Move consultancy a step nearer to being a genuine and respected

profession.

It seems that I may have to rethink the Maldives strategy, but hopefully,
the reasons why are clear. In the early days Andersen advised their clients
to have proposal forms printed with the key values so that any idea could
be readily planned around them. In this way the foundation of the mission

The big picture 13