The One Thing That Determines Success

(Hint: It’s Not What You Think)

What is the one thing that determines your success? Google for it, and the top answers will probably be:

• positive attitude,
• action,
• discipline,

followed by “trust”, “leadership”, “networking”, “team”,” good timing”, “determination” …  and many other good words.

Let’s cut the corporate BS for a moment. You’ve seen those motivational posters – “Positive Attitude!” “Discipline!” – plastered across conference rooms like some kind of corporate cult mantra. We’ve all nodded along, feeling like we’re about to unlock the secrets of the universe, right?

Spoiler alert: You’re not.

I’ve watched brilliant people recite these success buzzwords like a religious chant. They can spell “conscientiousness” from the first try, but ask them about their actual purpose? Duh…

Here’s the dirty little secret: Your mission statement isn’t that piece of lorem ipsum garbage hanging in the lobby. You know the one – printed in some fancy font, surrounded by stock photos of people high-fiving or looking pensively into the distance.

Real talk: Most mission statements are about as useful as a participation trophy.

I once stood with a department manager directly in front of his company’s mission statement. The fun part is that my interlocutor could not tell me what their Mission Statement was. Indeed, it did not even register with him that we were standing right in front of its official version.

Pro tip: If your employees can’t recite your mission statement, it’s not a Mission. It’s tacky wall decoration.

Creating a meaningful mission isn’t about gathering your leadership team at an offsite, plying them with overpriced catered lunch, two legal drinks, and word-vomiting corporate platitudes. It’s about defining why you exist beyond making money and keeping the shareholders happy.

Take this gem I discovered from a plumbing contractor that absolutely nails it: “Your Number Two Is Our Number One.”

Is it crude? No doubt. Is it memorable? You bet your porcelain throne it is. And you do not need to strain your executive brain trying to add a string of “our values” to it: it is already clear and enticing.

Compare that to the typical corporate word salad (offered by one company from the Best Emplyers list): “[Our Organization] is welcoming, engaged, and committed to innovation and excellence in education, research, creative activity and community partnerships…”

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Nobody – and I mean NOBODY – gets inspired by that nonsense. It can only drive your employees nuts. Or asleep.

A Mission statement is what every organization must define and publicly accept if they’re serious about their business. It’s a difficult and often unrewarding step, but all performance improvement initiatives won’t bring sustainable results without an overarching goal that everyone’s committed to. It should tell everyone exactly what you do, why you do it, and what makes you different. Yes, exactly: What’s your Number One?

Yes, exactly: What’s your Number One?

This applies to companies AND individuals. Ask yourself: What’s my mission on earth? And no, “collecting a paycheck” doesn’t count.

As the Cheshire Cat wisely noted, “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road can take you there.” And trust me, most roads lead straight to mediocrity.

Crafting a real mission takes time. Years, even. But when you nail it, suddenly everything becomes crystal clear. Your goals align. Your strategy sharpens. Your bullshit detector goes into overdrive.

So stop with the motivational poster mantras. Find your real purpose. Make it sharp. Make it mean something.

Your move.