What it actually means to be mission-driven

“Mission-driven” is one of those phrases that is so overused as to have lost nearly all its meaning. Every company claims it. Every job listing seeks it. So it’s worth asking what, if anything, the term points to.

Being mission-driven means a few things.

• You believe the product or service needs to exist.
• You believe the value it creates for customers can be realized.
• You see the bigger challenges standing in the way.
• You can see how those challenges might be met.

And what is the mission at a company? There are several. It may be developing a product to serve a real need. It may be experimentation or changing the culture at an organization. It may be profitability. But most of all, being “mission-driven” is a shared conviction– and this is why the lens cuts both ways when joining an organization.