All healthcare organizations travel. But some just wander, others actually go somewhere. Too many leaders chase shiny objects, react to the latest crises, or develop strategies that have nothing to do with the reasons why an organization exists in the first place.
Meanwhile, the best healthcare institutions make every decision through a clear mission, a focused vision, and a deep understanding of the people they serve. Five key principles align the strategy with your objectives. This provides actionable insights and real-world examples from key health systems that have transformed mission statements into mission-driven performance.
1. Know why you exist
Strategies without missions are activities that have no impact. Your mission is your organization's DNA – please answer: Why do we exist? What kind of business do we do? Who do we serve and what do they value?
In my recent speech to the CEO of Healthcare, I asked how many people could recite their mission statement from memory. Both hands shot.
Then I asked how many people would tell me what's in the Big Mac. 200 people joined me to recite McDonald's jingle: two all-beef patties, a special sauce… I pointed out that the entire audience can play Diti, who hasn't appeared on TV in over 20 years, but only two people know the mission statements of their organization! (We did the same exercises in many groups with the same results).
Printing on the latest version of a retreat mission statement to Wordsmith on a framed poster of a mouse pad or foyer may seem like a commitment. it's not. Your mission must be the Holy Grail, an acidity test for every decision. Without it you will get silos, confusion, and mediocrity. A clear and lively mission shapes strategies, drives operations and creates a consistent experience for everyone. And that should not change!
If your mission is not more memorable than fast food jingles, you're doing it wrong.
2. Understand the demographics you serve
Mission statements do not live on the wall. They live in the lives of the people you serve. Take Bellevue Hospital: They not only talked about serving a diverse population, but they also built clinics for immigrants and LGBTQ+ patients, invested in interpreters, and hired staff who looked like a community. Some nursing school programs require proficiency in Spanish. If the nurse cannot speak the patient's language, then there cannot be a nurse/patient relationship.
My sister had not studied Spanish at school, but they quickly learned what they knew, in order to set up a reconstructive surgery centre that was relocated to Nicaragua and serve children born with cleft palate.
It's not compliance. It lives the mission. If you don't design your system around real people, your mission will be a slogan or jingle.
3. Have a clear and flexible vision
The mission is now. The vision is: But in today's world, 20 years of vision serves more as fantasy than reality. You need a vision to grow for 1-5 years. This is an ambitious but practical direction. Cleveland Clinic's “Vision for 2024” began as a blueprint, not a wish list. It established a direction for investing in patient experience, digital health, underserved populations and research, and for investing in research. This kind of roadmap for a future quickly turns into a practical plan that declares where you want to go and how you will get there with details and deadlines.
4. Change your strategy, not your mission
Think of strategy as GPS rather than monuments. Strategies need to evolve as market changes, technological changes and pandemics occur. But your mission remains constant. Take a look at Mayo Clinic. They did not dilute the mission when they launched care network or web-based coaching. They expanded their reach without losing their souls. Innovation, scale, adaptation, but always reflect basic objectives.
5. If you disappear, know who will miss you
Who will notice if your organization disappears tomorrow? Who will lose? Kaiser Permanen knows the answer because they understand their mission: to provide high quality, affordable care that drives everything from prevention and chronic care to technological innovation and advocacy. However, missions without margins create a fantasy world that is headed for doom. Financial health and purpose don't have to be enemies. When your mission resonates, your employees are engaged, your patients are loyal and your brand is magnetic. It is the margin driven by the mission.
If the employee is unhappy, there are no happy customers. To provide exceptional patient care, your people should also feel as their livelihood depends on it, so they care for you.
Mission is the heartbeat of your organization
Your mission is not wall decorations or relics from strategic planning retreats. It should act as the heartbeat of your organization and as a guardrail for all your decisions. A thriving hospital is not the one with the flashiest branding or the most aggressive strategies. They are missions that drive every decision and every dollar.
When you lead a mission, success is not as a result of a series of accidents. It makes victory inevitable.
