Scrap Your Mission Statement.
Content
Want to send a message? Scrap your mission statement ..Please. Chuck Kaylor
If we've read one, we've read them all:
"Empowering (fill in the blank, but usually children, athletes, young people, etc.) to be (successful, excellent, maximize their potential, meet their promise, etc.) in life through (success, excellence, achievement, you see where I'm going with this) in swimming."
And if like me, you remember the hours of debating a myriad of core values, character traits, and qualities on the front end, while arguing fervently about the appropriate "word-smithing" on the back end. This struggle and toil to establish the all-important swim Team mission (and sometimes vision) statement that defines "who we are" and "what we do."
Three words: vague, boring, unoriginal. Result: message not sent.
Vague--Our swim customers (parents, children, prospective coaches--and we had better start viewing them as that), are inundated with nebulosity around every corner. If we're not able to better explain the customer problems that swimming solves in a clear, quick, and convincing fashion, we've lost our opportunity to send a message.
Boring We cringe every time we read a mission statement; and in fairness to swimming, every school, sport, church, and activity have fallen into the same trap (if you don t believe me, read this doozy of a mission statement for the Athletic Coast Conference (ACC) http://www.theacc.com/thisis/mission.html. We really want to believe that "content is king," and that the benefits of swimming, alone, will attract swim customers (aforementioned parents and children) in droves. The reality? Packaging goes a long way in a choice-laden society.
Unoriginal--Take a quick glance at any LSC website, view about 10 Team's mission statements, and then tell me I'm wrong. Philosophically, we all sound and look the same; interestingly enough, could there be a direct correlation to why most swim programs stay right in the middle of the pack?
Mission Statements: 2 dirty little secrets
Dirty secret #1--Let s be honest, the mission statement isn t created for our swim customer, they re for us, the one s creating them. We like to wrap ourselves in all the good that we do, whilst having our homemade moral compass to guide us. Here s the catch: EVERYONE KNOWS HOW GREAT SWIMMING IS. Do we really think parents would put their child in an activity that DOESN T have a laundry list of benefits?
Dirty secret #2 Our mission statement is typically focused on the process and not the end result. Here s your marketing tip for the day: if you want to start attracting swim customers, start talking results. The process is an on-going educational opportunity that each Team is responsible for; it is NOT, though, what you should be using to market your program. Could you imagine trying to sell your program based on the process of all weekend swim meets, thousands of dollars a year, and hundreds of hours at swim practice???
The Mantra Alternative
Don't get me wrong, it is critical that swim programs define their value, but isn't there an easier, more effective way to advertise all that your swimming program has to offer? Yes. The mantra.
In Guy Kawasaki's article* "Mantra's for Dummies." Guy does the job of explaining taking a meaningful and memorable approach to defining value (problems solved) in lieu of the painful, time-consuming alternative. Key words here are MEANINGFUL and MEMORABLE. Guy recommends using 3-4 words (though, don t be afraid to use up to 7 or 8) rather than the much longer mission alternative. Think of it as a mission statement on steroids, but small enough to fit on a business card. A few of Guy s examples:
Federal Express: "Peace of mind" Nike: "Authentic athletic performance" Mary Kay: "Enriching women's lives"
One of my favorites:
Coke: Coke is it Coke, in essence, is saying we know you have many soft drink choices(problem), so when it s time to choose, Coke is it (solution). Short, sweet, and most importantly, message sent. (Talk about
memorable, this mantra/slogan came out in 1982, when I was 6 years old; and to this day, when I think of Coke, I think Coke is it ).
As mentioned earlier, feel free to use more than 3-4 words, but do your best to keep it under 10. Remember that straightforwardness (get to the point) and authenticity (don t promise something you can t/won t deliver) are key.
Swimming s Opportunity Bottom line, with a variety of alternatives (i.e. soccer, video games, lacrosse, drama club, tennis, etc.), many spouting similar lifetime benefits as swimming, it would be wise considering an approach that helps us to differentiate in a clear, effective, and often times creative fashion.
Want a clearer picture?
Option A: Chuck Kaylor Swim Team: Consistently developing leaders through the implementation of a progressive swimming program centered on creating life skill resources for athletes, parents, and the community in an effort to achieve excellence in all we do.
Option B: Chuck Kaylor Swim Team: We. Enough Said.
Option B was an actual mantra used during my coaching stint in Pennsylvania. Although simple, it expressed what our program objective/Team identity was centered on: a collective unit, working, failing, and succeeding TOGETHER. This theme related brilliantly to the small, blue collar-esque community we lived in; our athletes, coaches, and parents loved being a part of something greater than themselves and it showed in every aspect of their Team involvement.
Final Thought
At best, the mantra sends a message that your Team can stand behind as it is: easily remembered, easily recited, and clear on the value you bring to your customers. At the least, the mantra saves you and your customer precious time from reading a snoozefest of a mission statement.
Ck
*Read Guy Kawasaki s article Mantra s for Dummies at: https://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/mantras-for-dummies-guy-kawasaki
If we've read one, we've read them all:
"Empowering (fill in the blank, but usually children, athletes, young people, etc.) to be (successful, excellent, maximize their potential, meet their promise, etc.) in life through (success, excellence, achievement, you see where I'm going with this) in swimming."
And if like me, you remember the hours of debating a myriad of core values, character traits, and qualities on the front end, while arguing fervently about the appropriate "word-smithing" on the back end. This struggle and toil to establish the all-important swim Team mission (and sometimes vision) statement that defines "who we are" and "what we do."
Three words: vague, boring, unoriginal. Result: message not sent.
Vague--Our swim customers (parents, children, prospective coaches--and we had better start viewing them as that), are inundated with nebulosity around every corner. If we're not able to better explain the customer problems that swimming solves in a clear, quick, and convincing fashion, we've lost our opportunity to send a message.
Boring We cringe every time we read a mission statement; and in fairness to swimming, every school, sport, church, and activity have fallen into the same trap (if you don t believe me, read this doozy of a mission statement for the Athletic Coast Conference (ACC) http://www.theacc.com/thisis/mission.html. We really want to believe that "content is king," and that the benefits of swimming, alone, will attract swim customers (aforementioned parents and children) in droves. The reality? Packaging goes a long way in a choice-laden society.
Unoriginal--Take a quick glance at any LSC website, view about 10 Team's mission statements, and then tell me I'm wrong. Philosophically, we all sound and look the same; interestingly enough, could there be a direct correlation to why most swim programs stay right in the middle of the pack?
Mission Statements: 2 dirty little secrets
Dirty secret #1--Let s be honest, the mission statement isn t created for our swim customer, they re for us, the one s creating them. We like to wrap ourselves in all the good that we do, whilst having our homemade moral compass to guide us. Here s the catch: EVERYONE KNOWS HOW GREAT SWIMMING IS. Do we really think parents would put their child in an activity that DOESN T have a laundry list of benefits?
Dirty secret #2 Our mission statement is typically focused on the process and not the end result. Here s your marketing tip for the day: if you want to start attracting swim customers, start talking results. The process is an on-going educational opportunity that each Team is responsible for; it is NOT, though, what you should be using to market your program. Could you imagine trying to sell your program based on the process of all weekend swim meets, thousands of dollars a year, and hundreds of hours at swim practice???
The Mantra Alternative
Don't get me wrong, it is critical that swim programs define their value, but isn't there an easier, more effective way to advertise all that your swimming program has to offer? Yes. The mantra.
In Guy Kawasaki's article* "Mantra's for Dummies." Guy does the job of explaining taking a meaningful and memorable approach to defining value (problems solved) in lieu of the painful, time-consuming alternative. Key words here are MEANINGFUL and MEMORABLE. Guy recommends using 3-4 words (though, don t be afraid to use up to 7 or 8) rather than the much longer mission alternative. Think of it as a mission statement on steroids, but small enough to fit on a business card. A few of Guy s examples:
Federal Express: "Peace of mind" Nike: "Authentic athletic performance" Mary Kay: "Enriching women's lives"
One of my favorites:
Coke: Coke is it Coke, in essence, is saying we know you have many soft drink choices(problem), so when it s time to choose, Coke is it (solution). Short, sweet, and most importantly, message sent. (Talk about
memorable, this mantra/slogan came out in 1982, when I was 6 years old; and to this day, when I think of Coke, I think Coke is it ).
As mentioned earlier, feel free to use more than 3-4 words, but do your best to keep it under 10. Remember that straightforwardness (get to the point) and authenticity (don t promise something you can t/won t deliver) are key.
Swimming s Opportunity Bottom line, with a variety of alternatives (i.e. soccer, video games, lacrosse, drama club, tennis, etc.), many spouting similar lifetime benefits as swimming, it would be wise considering an approach that helps us to differentiate in a clear, effective, and often times creative fashion.
Want a clearer picture?
Option A: Chuck Kaylor Swim Team: Consistently developing leaders through the implementation of a progressive swimming program centered on creating life skill resources for athletes, parents, and the community in an effort to achieve excellence in all we do.
Option B: Chuck Kaylor Swim Team: We. Enough Said.
Option B was an actual mantra used during my coaching stint in Pennsylvania. Although simple, it expressed what our program objective/Team identity was centered on: a collective unit, working, failing, and succeeding TOGETHER. This theme related brilliantly to the small, blue collar-esque community we lived in; our athletes, coaches, and parents loved being a part of something greater than themselves and it showed in every aspect of their Team involvement.
Final Thought
At best, the mantra sends a message that your Team can stand behind as it is: easily remembered, easily recited, and clear on the value you bring to your customers. At the least, the mantra saves you and your customer precious time from reading a snoozefest of a mission statement.
Ck
*Read Guy Kawasaki s article Mantra s for Dummies at: https://www.openforum.com/idea-hub/topics/the-world/article/mantras-for-dummies-guy-kawasaki
