Gary Morton, Author, Commanding Excellence: Inspiring Purpose, Passion, and Ingenuity through Leadership That Matters

Inspiring human beings to achieve the truly extraordinary requires something more than a mission statement. Well-constructed mission statements define the field of play, what the organization does on those fields, and what is unique about the organization’s approach; but they are typically too complex and lengthy to become a rally cry. Two organizations that accomplished what experts in their fields thought impossible exhibited a rally-cry-like internal ethos centered on an absolutely clear organizational purpose.  Task Force 4-68 (TF 4-68) that won an unprecedented nine of nine force-on-force engagements at the US Army’s grueling National Training Center (NTC) and device maker Stryker that grew earnings at a consistent pace of 20 percent or more for 28 consecutive years had simple, three-word goals that expressed their ultimate expectations. These goals communicated a defining commitment that went beyond a mission statement or even a mission statement on steroids.