The chapter comments on 4 sub-questions:

• What is the current mission?
• What are our challanges?
• What are our opportunities?
• Does the mission need to be revisited?

Creating the mission statement can be very difficult – it cannot be impersonal, it has to have deep meaning, be something you believe in – something you know is right.

Peter Drucker takes an example from a major hospital, who stated: “Our mission is health care”. Drucker worked with the hospital administration to correct this statement and turned it into “to give assurance to the afflicted”. Taking a look at the emergency room – this was exactly what they were doing. Both in case of illnesses, but also telling the 8 out 10 that a good night rest would solve the problem for them.

What I like most about this chapter is Drucker pointing out that a mission says why you do what you do, not the means by which you do it. You should be able to match the mission with the things you are doing right now – all the time. Everyone in the organisation should be able to nod and say “what I am doing contributes to the goal”. It must be clear and inspire.

In the Danish DONG energy, in the performance unit I work in our mission is “we develiver as promised – everytime”. We develop project for our oil and gas assets – and I think this mision statement follows Druckers thoughts very well. Even though I do not sit in the projects, but work on our project procedures in our project model, I can see how my daily work contributes to this goal. I create the tools for the rest of the organisation to deliver on quality, time and cost (or as promised).