HOW OBVIOUS is your company’s mission?

Is it so compelling that customers can tell you what it is, in their own words?

Is it so clear that your employees are thinking about it in some way every day?

No, I don’t mean your tagline or advertising slogan. I’m talking about your enduring mission, why the company exists at all.

How you’re going to change the world.

But if you really are going to have a big impact, it has to be a Big Deal. It’s going to pervade the way your people think, the messages you send, and what your customers experience.

So here’s the question: Is the mission of your company so authentic, so pervasive, that people already know what it is? Your employees? Partners? Customers?

Then it doesn’t matter if you have that fancy plaque on the wall.