Management Tip of the Day: Make Your Mission Meaningful

Are you having trouble viewing this email? If so, click here to see it in a web browser. HOME   |   TIPS   |   BLOGS   |   THE MAGAZINE   |   BOOKS   |   STORE RSS   |   Mobile MARCH 28, 2013 Make Your Mission Meaningful When work has personal meaning, people feel a sense of ownership in their jobs. But few employers do what it takes to make this a core part of their organization. This is apparent in the often bland, tone-deaf, and hollow mission statements companies adopt, which regularly turn out to be empty lip service to values that aren't lived every day. To engage employees, develop an inspiring mission that people can get behind. It should be specific, relevant, and motivating. Of course, it's not enough to have good words down on paper (or on your website). Your organization's leaders need to live the values implied in your mission statement and expect others to as well. By making sure all people in power walk the talk, you can begin to give employees the meaning they crave. Today's Management Tip was adapted from "To Give Your Employees Meaning, Start With Mission" by Teresa Amabile and Steve Kramer. Read the full post and join the discussion » Share Today's Tip: FEATURED PRODUCT HBR's 10 Must Reads on Making Smart Decisions (with featured article "Before You Make That Big Decision…" by Daniel Kahneman, Dan Lovallo, and Olivier Sibony) HBR Press Book Learn why bad decisions happen to good managers—and how to make better ones. If you read nothing else on decision making, read these 10 articles. We've combed through hundreds of articles in the Harvard Business Review archive and selected the most important ones to help you and your organization make better choices and avoid common traps. Leading experts such as Ram Charan, Michael Mankins, and Thomas Davenport provide the insights and advice you need to: (1) Make bold decisions that challenge the status quo, (2) Support your decisions with diverse data, (3) Evaluate risks and benefits with equal rigor, (4) Check for faulty cause-and-effect reasoning, (5) Test your decisions with experiments, (6) Foster and address constructive criticism, and (7) Defeat indecisiveness with clear accountability. ADVERTISEMENT Follow the Tip: PREVIOUS TIPS When You Become the Boss, Build Your Credibility Get the Most Out of Your Q&A Expand Your Company's Innovation Network Reduce Stress with Self-Compassion Don't Sandwich Negative Feedback Welcome Edits on Your Writing Try Out a Career by Volunteering Survive Networking Events by Being Generous 3 Ways to Use Persuasion to Get What You Need Eliminate Jargon from Your Next Presentation All Previous Tips BEST SELLERS HBR's 10 Must Reads: The Essentials HBR's 10 Must Reads Boxed Set HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations HBR Guide to Better Business Writing HBR Guide to Getting the Right Work Done Introducing Mobile ManageMentor Powered by the proven content of Harvard ManageMentor™ iTunes >> Android >> UNSUBSCRIBE   |   UPDATE YOUR PROFILE   |   MORE EMAIL NEWSLETTERS   |   PRIVACY POLICY Was this email forwarded to you? If so, sign up to start receiving your own copy. ABOUT THIS MAILING LIST You have received this message because you subscribed to the "Management Tip of the Day" email newsletter from Harvard Business Review. If at any point you wish to remove yourself from this list, change your email address, or sign up for other email newsletters and alerts, please visit the Harvard Business Review Email Newsletter Preference Center. OPT OUT If you do not wish to receive any email messages from Harvard Business Review, click here. ADVERTISE WITH HBR This enewsletter is read by thousands of decision makers every day. Learn more about connecting your brand with this audience. Copyright © 2013 Harvard Business School Publishing, an affiliate of Harvard Business School. All rights reserved. Harvard Business Publishing | 60 Harvard Way | Boston, MA 02163 Customer Service: 800-545-7685 (+1-617-783-7600 outside the U.S. and Canada)