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When I ask
myself what factors are responsible for driving our growth and
success over the last 25 years, one factor emerges as # 1.
And that is what I will call the "Power of our Mission."
We are blessed
with a compelling and powerful mission. Who can resist being
drawn to an organization which provides compassionate support to
survivors of tragedy during the worst hours of their lives? Our
mission pulls at people's heart strings. It contains elements
that draw others to us, including the 911 emergency-element and
the neighbor-helping-neighbor aspect.
As compelling as
our mission is it will not attract others if it remains just a
"Mission Statement." We need to unlock our mission's
potential. I look at our mission as an expensive gift that is
gift wrapped. It needs to be unwrapped for others to see
how wonderful it is. I believe the primary job of TIP
Leaders is to “unwrap” our mission statement so that it comes
alive. There are many ways leaders can unleash the
power of our mission including the following:
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By being story
tellers. The best way to bring our mission alive is with a
brief vignette..."What we do is help 85 year old Mrs.
Smith who finds her husband of 50 years dead. She's all
alone at the worst time in her life.” We all need our
Mary vignette ready to relate at a moment’s notice.
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By "call sharing" and by making call sharing a
central activity at all of our CE Meetings, Board Meetings
and Advisory Committee Meetings. There is nothing that
brings our mission home and reminds us of who we are more
than an actual TIP Call related by a TIP Volunteer.
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By making
decisions with our mission in mind. Everything we
decide to do should clearly be aligned with our mission
(i.e., should help us help traumatized citizens).
Finally, to unlock the power of our mission and
to attract others to it, we as leaders need to authentically
live and breathe our mission. Others must see that our actions
match our words, that we walk the talk. They must see in
the decisions we make, in the programs and procedures we adopt
and in the sacrifices we make leaders who are in TIP for no
other reason than to serve our clients. In other words, they
must be Humble Servants. |
