Are You Driving Your Mission? Or is it Driving You?
January 22, 2026 | By David M. Wagner
A clear, unambiguous mission statement is a powerful thing.
It can inspire action. Motivate teams. Guide decisions.
When your organization’s mission is murky, it can have the opposite effect: creating confusion, frustration, and paralysis.
But even a perfectly clear mission can lead to problems…if it’s not the right one for you and your team.
Mission clarity is essential. But it’s not enough.
Lest we forget, missions don’t execute themselves. People make change happen. Which means the people doing the work matter more than the mission itself.
Here are some checks to ensure your organization’s mission is aligned with your people, and not just the other way around.
Does Your Mission Align with Your “Why?”
Some people and organizations confuse their mission with their purpose – that is, the “why” or core belief that guides them.
I had the opportunity to speak with a nonprofit founder recently who shared that, while everyone knew their organization’s role in meeting individuals’ material needs, that wasn’t their real purpose.
Their reason for being was to foster a sense of community where people saw each other as neighbors…not as “haves” and “have-nots.”
Meeting material needs – in a particular, grassroots-oriented way – was simply a means to that end.
Does what you do (your mission) match up with what you believe is most important (your purpose)? If there’s a disconnect – personally for you, or as an organization – it may be time for a change.
Does Your Mission Match Your Hedgehog Concept?
At some point, I’m sure there has been pressure to adjust your mission from its core.
Funding availability and funder priorities. Recognizing additional, unmet needs. Public policy changes. A passion project for a member of the board or staff.
Those changes aren’t necessarily bad things. They can be problematic, however, when they move you away from your Hedgehog Concept.
Your Hedgehog Concept (per Jim Collins in Good to Great) is one simple, distilled notion of your business model that:
Your team can execute better than anyone else,
You and your team love to do, and
Makes economic sense.
If your mission has crept into services that others can perform better, or work that no longer stirs your team’s passions, or is difficult to support financially…look for opportunities to reconfigure your scope.
Does Your Mission Align with Your Vision?
And by that, I don’t mean your vision statement – that is, your idea of the better world your team will create. Aligning with your purpose will keep your mission and vision statement connected.
Rather, I mean your vision for the organization.
For example, do you (and your board and your team) want to:
Employ dozens or hundreds of people?
Operate with a small staff and a large volunteer base?
Serve just your local community?
Expand nationally or internationally?
Influence policy?
Focus on direct services?
Those are all very different goals to have. They can all be ways to effectively serve your purpose and your Hedgehog Concept.
But they imply different missions. Does your mission match your aspirations for the organization? If not, what adjustments could you make to the work you do?
Clarity about your mission makes life easier…so long as it doesn’t force you to make decisions that conflict with your or your team’s purpose (core beliefs), Hedgehog Concept (unique expertise), or vision (goals for your organization). It’s okay to change your mission to bring those factors into alignment! And I’m here to help if you need it – just grab a time to talk.