Founder and CEO of Massaro Consulting, an IT Management Consulting firm.
Last Sunday, as usual, I was on the sideline in a beach chair watching my son’s soccer team play. My mission as a dad is to help my son be the best he can be. I don’t compare him to any other kids, let alone adults. I’d assume other kids’ soccer coaches and parents would say the same thing, but not when a match starts.
Once a ball is kicked off, some coaches and parents suddenly start behaving as if they are at a WWE event—voicing out rule interpretations, instructions and opinions. And they don’t hold back from arguing with other parents or voicing their displeasure with a referee. As much as we hate to admit it, being better than our neighbor is often a core driving force in our lives. When it comes to professional sports, being better than others is the whole point. Competitive sports are a net-sum game.
Business, however, is not. I think it is especially appalling to see strategic missions and visions that put displacing competition front and center.
Why Competitive Missions Miss The Mark
Often, missions are produced by marketing departments or high-priced consultants. Designed mainly for the public eye, these statements rarely inspire the very people who are meant to live them out: the employees. The disconnect is so glaring that employees might dismiss the mission entirely, and in some cases, even ridicule it.
Some organizations sport genuinely inspirational missions, but have the bottom line dominate their choices. For example, a company’s mission might be to connect people, but the way they operate does not live up to their mission. Instead of genuinely connecting with their audience, the emphasis may tilt heavily toward profit-making.
In my experience, competitive mission statements are the most ineffective. Terms like “the best,” “the most” or “the highest” peppered in mission statements focus employees on competitors instead of customers, who in turn may feel ignored.
How Competitive Visions Can Hinder Lasting Success
Vision statements depict a bright future. But in daily work, employees revert to profitability as their number one goal. Inspiring employees to march toward a vision is a key to strategy execution.
To increase motivation, organizations often use competitive language in vision statements. The allure of a competitive vision might be palpable, but its sustainability is questionable.
Take the competition between Coca-Cola and Pepsi in the “Cola Wars” of the 1970s and 1980s. The “Pepsi Challenge” showed consumers preferred Pepsi over Coke in a blind taste test, and Coke was unable to impress consumers with their response. During this time, Coca-Cola fell behind Pepsi in corporate sales, even as they grew above Pepsi in profits.
Focusing heavily on competition can be dangerously myopic, and it often leads to sidelining broader market dynamics and, crucially, the needs of stakeholders. This narrowed focus can also beget an attitude devoid of kindness or empathy, where the goal is merely to outperform rivals, even if it means disregarding larger implications.
A battle-centric vision can lead to temporary triumphs, but not lasting success. Besting a competitor might offer short-lived glory, but it’s no guarantee of enduring market relevance.
The Paradigm Shift: Promoting A Win-Win Vision
The win-lose paradigm, where one’s success hinges on another’s downfall, is antiquated. In today’s interconnected business ecosystem, clinging to such a mindset is not just regressive but detrimental.
It’s imperative to transcend this zero-sum game. Embracing a win-win vision holds the key. Such a perspective champions collective growth, shared successes and cultivates a positive business milieu.
I think IKEA’s vision, “To create a better everyday life for the many people—for customers, but also for our co-workers and the people who work at our suppliers,” is a testament to a win-win approach. It’s all-encompassing, factoring in its business ecosystem and focused on a long-lasting approach to growth. From affordable designs to sustainability initiatives, IKEA embodies its vision, while influential names in design want to collaborate with them and suppliers get to grow with them.
The Triumphant Win-Win-Win
The bedrock of any successful organization lies in a genuine, lived-out mission and an inclusive, forward-looking vision. Businesses today, more than ever, should champion a win-win-win perspective. Not just because it’s noble, but because it’s the cornerstone for a sustainable and thriving future for the economy and communities.
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