***Does Your Business Need Glasses?

Nearsightedness (a.k.a. myopia) affects about one-third of the population. The nearsighted eye is not able to focus on distant objects. People who are nearsighted can see things up-close just fine, but have difficulty performing tasks like driving and reading street signs. As an entrepreneur, regardless of the condition of your eyes, if you’re not careful, your business can very easily suffer from a form of nearsightedness as well.

In the daily grind to get things done, both seasoned corporate players and new entrepreneurs alike can sometimes lose sight of why they got into the game in the first place. Without a sharp view of the horizon, they lose their way on the path to long-term success because they get caught up in one cycle of minutiae after another, or they waste precious time by taking detours misread as opportunities.

Nobody likes getting lost, especially entrepreneurs with a lot at stake. When you embark upon a new business venture, it’s easy to forget how nonlinear the road to success can be. But those with a clear vision of where they’re going and how they’re going to get there are more capable of handling any potential twists and turns along the way. On the other hand, entrepreneurs without that sense of context and purpose, often find themselves confused about what to do next. Why? They’re not able to clearly see where they are at any given moment.

When it comes to eyes, nearsightedness can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. In business, having a well thought-out mission statement written down (and always nearby) can help correct your company’s myopia.

Companies use mission statements as a navigation tool to help prevent getting lost. A mission statement for a business can be like a minus lens for a nearsighted eye; it alleviates the stress to allow objects in the distance to come into full focus.
When presented with multiple paths and daily challenges, long-lasting companies often refer back to a mission statement to help guide their decision-making process. This brief, but powerful, declaration of your company’s purpose and values can provide a strong sense of confidence and comfort as you deal with emergencies and explore new territory.

Consider Starbucks. As big and diverse as the coffee giant’s business is, the organization spends more on employee benefits than they do on coffee beans. In the book Pour Your Heart into It, Starbucks chairma
Howard Shultz wrote, “I tried to make Starbucks the kind of company I wish my dad had worked for.” Shultz envisioned a company with good health benefits, stock options, and an overall culture of openness, responsiveness, and respect. And if you were to refer to the company’s mission statement, you would see their main guiding principle: “Provide a great work environment.”

Knowing where you are in the grand scheme of things and understanding how what you’re doing right now fits into and supports the big picture of your business can be the difference between knowing how to proceed and feeling lost.

When day-to-day tasks bog you down, a clear mission statement can give you the confidence to make tough decisions as well as reassure you when you’re on the right path.

Sometimes you can lose sight of the big picture, especially as you grow and expand your business. But living up to the goals and values that you spell out when you first get started can help you manage overloads and stay focused.

Ultimately, a clear big picture gives an entrepreneur the context for what he or she does and does not do. And without a strong context, your business is like a nearsighted person driving in the rain without his or her glasses on.