Mission

Do you have a mission statement at your facility or business? Can you recite it right now from memory? If not then I would guess it is not used to make decisions on a daily basis. If it is not a good mission statement then that is probably a good thing, but also a bad thing. If your mission statement is old or was not poured over in a strategic planning meeting then you may be better of not knowing it by heart and letting it help guide your decisions. However if it is good and well thought out it can be one of the most valuable tools in the entire business. I say this not just for us but from so many successful business leaders.

Our mission: The MiGCSA is dedicated to providing value to our members through programs and services that promote and enhance our profession.

I can say that this was a very thought out mission and has evolved with the growth of the chapter. I can also say that I personally run any decision or directive through the "mission filter". If an idea or directive does not succeed in helping us in this mission it will likely not get to the light of day. It helps me on a daily basis make operational decisions for the Board and Membership. It helps the Officers and Board make large decisions to help to continue on an upward path.

The latest addition to our mission is the word promote. We are doing some things this summer to promote our members. The biggest is an entire episode of Michigan Golf Live dedicated to Superintendents and the MiGCSA. The debut of the show is scheduled for the week of Saturday, May 21st. It will air 3 times that week, including Sat/Sun at 9:30 a.m. The second week of airtime is Sept 10th on Fox Sports Detroit. We work hand in hand with media outlets like the Free Press in this article about our winter damage survey. We now have a seat on the Michigan Golf Hall of Fame Board to help to promote the lifelong work of so many of our members like Dr. Joe Vargs who will be inducted this year. A seat with the Michigan golf Alliance to help promote our members to allied golf groups and associations. Before we added the promotion to the mission these ideas and directives may never have come to fruition.

Take a look at your mission at your business or facility and ask if it is part of your decision making process, should it be? Or does it need to change to reflect your current business model? Or can adding one word open up so many opportunities to be more efficient and productive? It is more than just a few words if you allow it to be.