Know Your Mission, Outcome/Objective, and Purpose

A substantial problem with the digital age, and the number one frustration my readers, students, and clients express to me almost every day-is some varied degree of OVERWHELM and Confusion about what exactly they are supposed to do.

In fact, I might even venture to say that this is probably the number one problem in LIFE right now.

Don't Forget Your M.O.P.

While the snake oil sleazeballs, the biz-opp kings, and the me-too marketers will stand on their desk, waiving you down, underhandedly trying to convince you that IT'S JUST SO SIMPLE, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS… BUY MY STUFF!

Let me take a minute to calm you down, apologize for you having to deal with and sift your way through them.

Just like life… It's NEVER really that simple. I don't care WHO you are-there are too many variables for a one-sized fits all approach.

As I've touched on many times before-the activities that you should be doing and spending 80% of your time on, are really one of a few key things, and usually there is a whole bunch of "other stuff" getting in the way that's really not much more than a distraction keeping you from focusing on the core tasks and high value activities that only you can do.

Optimizing your environment, clarifying your direction, forming an effective strategy and then following a focused plan of action is one of the best gifts I can provide my clients-because it takes the "guess work" and spinning wheels out of the equation… But while it can help to have someone with expertise create a regimen that's most effective for you personally, don't think that you can't do these things on your own. But no matter where you go, if you map it out yourself, or you have a specialist or professional help you create it FOR you, don't underestimate the power of working with a clear map of where you are trying to go, and how you are going to get there. Additionally, if possible, try to find a way to do this within a structure that provides you with accountability and support.

"Word Nerd" Alert

It's easy to loosely use common words that have, or can have similar meanings and intentions, and thus get all mixed in together to a highly subjective stew of misinterpretation. The problem is that there are certain words that need to be understood to accurately translate important information and distinctions. Sometimes this can seem like "nit-picking," sometimes it's a subjective case of just "Geeking out" over the details.

I guess it's fair to say that i've been guilty of both a time or two in my life.

However, as The Coach and Consultant for Modern Experts and Creators, I work with a highly creative sector of individuals who can often over-conceptualize, and thus miscommunicate.

I've learned that as Content Creators in the Modern World, clarity and focus is key.

Especially within a group or community context.

As a former infantryman, (combat tour in baghdad) i've found the simplistic way of life, communication, and accountability-something I gained a tremendous amount of value from, and further - that has greatly supported my personal and professional growth as a Modern Creator.

The principles of disciplined task completion, clear communication, and accountability have carried over to my life as a trainer, a business coach, and an expert as well.

Thus, for our community of experts, coaches, consultants, trainers, artists, content creators… I'd like to clarify some key terms that could use some distinction via clear and practical definitions.

As I reached the stretch and exercise portion of my morning routine - my mind gave me a nice example that I'll use here, rather than try to create some sterile- "textbook" definition.

Please meet me in the comments below to let me know if this is all clear to you and makes sense, needs improvement, and/or is helpful in any way...

Now with that higher level stuff out of the way, lets get granular and go down to the ACTION level. Where the rubber really meets the road. This is going to be PART 1, or a 2 PART Article Series on some very very critical terms that we all need to be clear on moving forward. Today we'll start at the ground level with your M.O.P., and then work our way up to your G.S.P, or Goals, Strategy, and Plan.

Alright let's do it.

Mission ---> Outcome/Objective ---> Purpose = Clear and focused action ON the right things.

This is where it all starts, with your mission. Let's say your mission is to plant the set of new flowers your grandma bought, within the parameters she instructed.

That's the mission. A little "Area beautification" as we used to call it in the Army…

Ok, so we got our mission. Now. what's the outcome/or the objective?

If you said "to get those flowers planted in the ground…" you were WRONG!

I mean, that's a little harsh, you were mostly right, but you're forgetting something…

The real outcome, since flowers don't really do much for me personally, is to make my grandma smile and feel good when she looks at her beautiful garden.

There's a difference.

The cool thing is that this concept is progressive. It builds on itself, and you only need to ask each progressive question… I.E. what's my outcome/objective, what's my ultimate purpose… IF you have any questions about the specificity, nature, or guiding principles behind any task or project you're working on.

Make sense?

So again, in this grossly simplified example, the mission is obvious… Plant the flowers…. I don't need to sit down and write out a "to-do list" of tasks and equipment to get this job done. But, I may at some point find myself questioning "what's the importance of planting these flowers…"

If so, I'd conclude the Outcome we uncovered before which is to make my grandma happy. In this case, that's pretty much the ultimate purpose as well… So that's pretty much that.

Check.

While it's clear that tying your shoes requires no consciously defined M.O.P. I.E. Your mission is to "tie your shoe," your outcome is to "get your shoes tied," and your purpose is to walk with greater ease and comfort, and not trip and fall on your face…

Your MOP, (Mission Outcome Purpose) is that handy little mental framework that you'll remember-and be glad you learned next time you are confused about what you are supposed to be working on, and are bouncing around in several different directions.

Don't overcomplicate it. It's just a tool for consciously clarifying WHAT, FOR, WHY you are doing any task or project.

It is relevant and useful because it will allow you to identify and distinguish the important aspects in, on, and of the work you are doing.

You don't need to geek out on this though, again, many things are going to be self-explanatory and obvious… But some things, you may "think" will be, aren't.

Let me show you what I mean… So let's take my workout this morning, for example:

Now I could have gone through the motions today, sorta kinda doing a little bit of exercise here and there…

I could have also done a full, intense, heavy weight muscle building routine that left me panting and exhausted….

So my mission was to stretch and exercise my body between the hours of 10-12pm.

I could have had much more specific guidelines to follow, such as: workout my chest and abs, which could of course go further and further with specific exercises, sets, reps, rest periods, etc.

But, when I really thought about it, the primary reason TODAYs workout is not that, is because I thought about it, and identified  my primary Outcome/Objective.

You can also substitute objective with outcome, which shows you the ideal end result, as opposed to (objective) the underlying "intentions."

Outcome/Objective goes one level higher up and seeks to clarify the real aim behind the individual mission… So, in this case, for example, I am NOT currently on a specific muscle building or fat loss cycle… My OBJECTIVE for TODAY's workout is really, when it comes down to it; to prepare my body and my mind for the day ahead, to optimize my state of being for the work I'll be doing the rest of the day, and ideally so that I'd successfully close a new deal or two.

The outcome, (the result) is a relaxed, attentive, comfortable, present and engaging state of mind and body.

Although as a former Grunt it sounds a little bizarre, but when you peel the layers back, the ultimate purpose of todays workout was to 1. prepare my body and my mind for a day that will be mentally exhausting, so that I can maintain my physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing, and have the best day I can.

and 2. simply to refresh and "increase" my health + fitness, or at the very least, NOT "decrease" my overall health and fitness due to neglect, thus promoting my ability to be continually improving and progressing in my life and in my career.

So Again, Here's Your M.O.P.

A mission is a clear task and/or project that covers the most specific action steps of any given outcome or result you are working to create.

But when you get too bogged down in the details, you'll come back to your Objective (s) - the underlying intentions, or Outcome - the final results. Inner vs. Outer… Whichever you prefer to focus on, or what is most applicable for the specific task…

(Two sides of the same coin)

And, if there is any further question about your "O," you of course come to your ultimate "why" your Purpose.

Now, many times you won't need to spell this stuff out consciously, but it can certainly provide you some insights you may not have had-when you "dumb things down" to this level for things you automatically do-at current.

That's simple enough. I think we are still on the same page? Again, see me in the comments to let me know if it's not.

Goal vs. Mission

Now, the term goal, can be and IS often times substituted with mission. But since "goal" is the most casually thrown around term that could mean several different things to different people, I DO think it's important to be specific, in this case.

We'll talk about goals, strategy, and plan, tomorrow.

MISSION implies more specificity, and yes-I DO think that this level of attention to detail is something that will serve you better than loosely throwing around terms as we so often do.

Not ALL terminology is important to clarify, but these terms I definitely feel ARE.

So in this instance, GOAL, essentially substitutes for the term "milestone." Something specific, that is larger than a mission, that ALSO has an objective and a purpose.

A Goal is simply an outcome or result.

It is still a tangible thing, like a mission, but it consists of multiple missions.

Again, multiple missions to get to a goal.

The "GOAL" of a GOAL, is to achieve a certain outcome or result. Trackin'?

And lastly, we get to VISION… If you are a visual person, which you are, because we "think" in pictures, then you already understand the term VISION.

In virtually every context it means the same thing. A visually imagined or real picture of what the result will look like.

Many times we get the VISION first, and then connect all the pieces with individual missions, and multiple goals/outcomes.

Mission and Vision STATEMENTS

Now don't confuse any of these terms with mission statement, (current operating principles, guidelines, or a HIGH LEVEL mission for an individual, business, organization, etc.)  or vision statement (future operating principles, guidelines, or high level ultimate aspirations for an individual, business, organization, etc.)

These are those "framed things" you paste up a wall, and prance around the office repeating…

Or better yet, something you refine all throughout your life and career!

Again, we are talking about at the practical "action" level.

Mission -- Outcome/Objective(s) -- Purpose

Goal (s) -- Strategy/Tactic -- Plan

The reason I put them in this order is because if there is any question about what needs to get done and why, that's the way I want you to approach clarifying each project or task.

This model can be used for any and every task, project, or business, you are involved in for the rest of your career.

One final example

And before we go, let me provide you with one more example that will string it all together for you.

Let's take this very document, for example…

My mission is to create and publish a new piece of content that my audience will value and be happy they found. I guess you can let me know if I was successful-in the comments below.

Since there are a number of modalities I could choose to deliver this particular piece of content, I look to my objective to streamline the selection process so that it's more effective for you. In this case, a slide-show format seemed to be the best way to present THIS kind of material and message.

The objective/outcome is to accurately translate a uniform set of underlying understandings for some of the most important terms we so often blend and misuse as content creators and knowledge workers.

Although it's pretty obvious,

The purpose was to further develop our relationship together, by (hopefully) adding some value to you, clarify some key terms and definitions that I believe are relevant to you, and in so doing will increase your productivity.

Now, again, this is not always something that will need to be "Consciously spelled out," though I believe in many cases it can help you clarify your action steps in a deliberate way when you are falling into an overwhelmed or confused state-as we all do from time to time…

But it is a reliable and sophisticated way to cut to the most important aspects to focus on to make progress and get stuff done efficiently, AND effectively.

It's the "shortcut" for those who know there's really no shortcuts. In our fast paced world DONE is better than perfect, but you still want to ship the best product you possibly can… The only practical way I know of to do that is to work smarter, and to focus on the "difference that makes the difference" by clarifying what really matters most about your task/project and deliverable.

Don't forget your M.O.P.

Alright… You got it… One last one to really drive this home for you.

Mission=Run a new client acquisition campaign.

Outcome/Objective=Enroll 2 new VIP clients that meet a target persona I'm looking for specifically.

Purpose=To grow my business in a small measured, manageable way, and to ultimately "fill the pool," the structure i've built to problem solve and create specific solutions for this one segment of my market, while simultaneously adding to my VIP coaching and consulting roster.

So, basically… The mission is probably going to be an email based campaign, but it's not one channel specific… Because the OUTCOME, or the OBJECTIVE is really just to enroll 2 new VIP clients… Thus there are several strategies I could use, that I've had success with doing already, and many more that I could try out. It's important to be clear on ALL THREE pieces of this project because as you can see, there is flexibility and options in the HOW, but you need to be specific about the what, and the WHY. So you could look at it like it's the how-mission-specific, what-outcome/objective, and why-purpose.

Don't forget your MOP folks.

Test it out with your next digital, OR physical project and please share your experiences with the rest of the community!

Happy MOPping,

Jamie

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