Peter Drucker— Chapter 1, The Commitment

The non-profit organization exists to bring about a change in individuals and in society...the ultimate test is not the beauty of the mission statement. The ultimate test is the right action.

The leader who basically focuses on himself or herself is going to mislead...What matters is the leader's mission.

Setting Concrete Action Goals
A mission statement has to be operational, otherwise it's just good intentions.

The task of the non-profit manager is to try to convert the organization's mission statement into specific.

One of our most common mistakes is to make the mission statement into a kind of hero sandwich of good intentions. It has to be simple and clear. As you add new tasks, you deemphasize and get rid of old ones. You can only do so many things. As you add on you have to abandon...which are the few things we can accomplish that will do the most for us, and which are the things that contribute either marginally or are no longer of great significance.

So you constantly look at the state-of-the-art. You look at the opportunities in the community.

The Three "Musts" of a Successful Mission
Look at strength and performance. Do better what you already do well— if it's the right thing to do. The belief that every institution can do everyhting is just not true. When you violate the values of an institution, you are likely to do a poor job.

Look outside at the opportunities, the needs. Where can we, with the limited resources we have— and I don't just mean people and money, but also competence— really make a difference, really set a new standard? One sets the standard by doing something and doing it well. You create a new dimension of performance.

I have never seen anything done well unless people were committed.

After asking "what are the opportunities, the needs?" then, do they fit us? are we likely to do a decent job? Are we competent? Do they match our strengths? Do we really believe in this?

So you need three things: opportunities, competence, and commitment. every mission statement has to reflect all three or it will fall down on what is its ultimate goal, its purpose and final test. It will not mobilize the human resources of the organization for getting the right things done.