Showing Is Better Than Saying; In Praise of the Ramsey Solutions

In many organizations, the mission, vision and value statements hang silently on the walls. People glance at them once in a while but they don't mean much to them.

What's worst is when organizations say something in their mission, vision and values but their actions are diametrically and visibly opposite to their words.

On the surface, such a misalignment does not seem to mean much but people observe or at least sense the mismatch. Overtime, this mismatch causes feelings of distrust. When what is being said by the leader lacks a real follow- through, trust erodes and confidence plummets.

So what to do? Throw out those mission, vision, and value statements? No! Instead, do the following:

1. Hold a two hour meeting with the executive team and each person asks the following questions:

   A. Who are we as a team?

   B. What makes us unique in the marketplace?

   C. What do we do on a daily basis?

   D. What is it that we want to accomplish in the grand scheme of things?

   E. What behaviors or principles do we value as important for effective and smooth functioning of our company?

2. Now read the answers by each team member and come up with the new Mission, Vision and Behavior statements.

3. Publish the new statements for your people to see. Teach them what the statements mean. Put them on the walls and bring them up in every meeting, every announcement.

4. Recommit to the statements every week, month, quarter, year.

5. Filter every decision, every policy through these statements.

Not all organizations battle with such mismatch. A fine example is - The Ramsey Solutions in Franklin, TN. They don't just have mission and vision statemements. They live them. Employee and after employee gives that testimony on the internet.

That is what separates mediocre leaders and organizations from great leaders and organizations - Alignment between what's said and what's done. They believe in showing and not just saying what they believe in.