It actually happens quite often. I’m planning a team development session, and I ask the manager: “What’s the situation for your team? Do you have a clear, shared mission? Are you in agreement on what you’re supposed to achieve together?”

“Yes, I think we have a clear picture of that. It’s not written down or anything, but we’ve discussed it before, and I think it’s clear.”

“Okay, that’s great! Do you think every member of the team shares that same view?” I ask further.

“Yeah, more or less.” And sometimes it continues with, “And I’d rather not spend more time on it; we need to move on to other issues.”

I usually persist and still try to ensure that the team development includes both the leader’s view of the mission and a discussion with the entire team to land on a shared understanding. A simply formulated shared mission usually becomes a sustainable compass that helps the group move forward, and it’s not uncommon for members to bring up both the process and the result as an important milestone.

Why does this group exist? What is its purpose? What will we achieve together?

Creating alignment on these questions gives the group much better conditions for success. The existence of a mission and goals that require collaboration is the very foundation for establishing teams, and for members to then be able to work well together, a shared mental model around Our Mission is needed. This becomes even more important if new members join or if the team needs to collaborate with other parts of the organization!

In some groups, the mission is UNCLEAR. In others, it’s considered unnecessary to talk about or formulate because it’s SELF-EVIDENT. But there is a lot to be gained from working to make it MUTUALLY CLEAR. It creates clarity and safety. It becomes much easier to formulate sub-goals, find ways of working and collaborations that support the mission, and reduces the risk of goal, interest, and value conflicts. In short, it becomes easier to see when you are on the right track. And the process itself is an opportunity to increase understanding of each other’s perspectives and get to know each other better.

Yet, in groups, we often see that the mission is more or less unclear or unstated. This is rarely because the team has nothing to contribute to the organization and almost never because someone is deliberately withholding the mission statement. Rather, it’s because the mission is complex and can take time to articulate, which can cause other, more urgent tasks and discussions to push the mission question aside. It might be seen as a bit vague and difficult to grasp. Important, but not urgent.

Here is a small challenge for you:

Take a moment and reflect on the mission of a group you are part of at work—choose one if you are in several. Maybe the mission is already set in some form of steering document? Or is it something the group itself is responsible for? The latter is almost always the case if you are a member of a management team.

Now, write down the mission. It should preferably be no more than a few sentences.

A good framework is to answer these questions:

• Why do we do what we do?
• What is it that we do?
• For whom do we do it?

Then, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you think all the other members of the group would formulate the mission the same way? Are you in agreement?
• Do you see that you, and everyone else in the group, take personal responsibility for working smartly and effectively toward the mission?
• When you achieve something that contributes to your mission, do you acknowledge and celebrate it?
• Do you regularly reflect on what works well and what could be done even better in your pursuit of fulfilling your mission?

If you answered YES to all these questions, there is much to suggest that you are already co-creating an effective team. If any of the questions get a NO, there is definitely an opportunity to grow in that area.

Regardless of whether you are a member or a formal leader in your group and have answered NO to any of the questions, you can help your team develop by addressing it!

What is the next step toward a YES for you? Who should you have a dialogue with and when? What could you suggest? Should you start the spring with a meeting to clarify your mission and how you can work smarter together to achieve it? Just remember not to sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to fix a clear mission. Contribute in the best way you can to clarify, document, and follow up.

I hope that during the year, you can celebrate many small and big steps in line with your mission. Maybe the first step is to get a shared mission in place!

We’re here to help!