You see it so often.  A politician crosses over to the dark side and trades influence for campaign contributions. That happens so often that many readers just stopped reading this blog and think I am naïve. “Isn’t ‘politician’ and ‘dark side’ in the same sentence automatically redundant?” Actually, I have met a few politicians in my life who still arrive at their offices each day in the spirit of service.

You see it in some speakers who made it to the “circuit” because they seemed to genuinely care about improving something important, achieving results, and making a difference. But now they come across like Prima Donnas caught up in their own celebrity status or are just focused on the money.

It’s not just public figures; entire businesses can lose sight of their mission.

We all know companies that have lost sight of their previously customer driven missions because financial challenges turned their real missions into just surviving.  Survive to do what?

Your mission may need to be dusted off and updated.  One of our strategic planning clients needs to change its mission statement to reflect the fact that it is no longer enough for them to be responsive and exceed customer expectations. In their industry, they MUST get ahead of their customers…WAY out ahead.

Over the years, our mission to be a positive force for economic development is behind important decisions to establish multiple businesses and to invest in advocacy.  It needed refinement to clarify our focus on helping midsized companies to keep growing, but having a sense of mission has been very useful.  On days you are tired, a powerful mission can feel like a burden while others seem free to coast, accept whatever comes, or just do what comes easily.

But having a powerful mission (a calling) is the reason you work. It can keep you young, centered, energized …and at peace when you fall asleep at night.       

Aldonna R. Ambler, CMC, CSP has earned the right to be called THE GROWTH STRATEGIST®. She has won over 2 dozen national and statewide “entrepreneur of the year” awards for the resilient growth of her international businesses across 4 recessions.  Her midsized BtoB clients get on…and then stay on…the published lists of the fastest growing privately held companies. She owns and operates a suite of companies that help privately held midsized companies achieving accelerated growth with sustained profitability® through opportunity & resource analysis, 4 approaches to strategic planning, executive advisory services, growth financing, and targeted search.  2012 is Ambler’s 8^th year hosting a weekly peer-to-peer-to-peer syndicated on line talk show that features interviews with CEOs/Presidents of midsized companies (typically between $20 and 200 Mil/yr) sharing success tips about the growth strategy-of-the-week. An archive of over 300 interviews is available at www.GrowthStrategistShow.com. She can be reached toll free at 1-888-Aldonna or at Aldonna@AMBLER.com.