Pursuing your Purpose
Do you know why your organization exists? What is the purpose behind your everyday efforts?
There are two fundamental elements to every successful business: a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement.
Let’s start with the vision. This is the ultimate reason behind why your company exists. Take a metaphorical step back and examine your organization from a ‘bird’s eye view’. What kind of impact does your team have on others? The purpose of a business is to address a particular problem. Bakers satisfy the human need for food to survive. Car dealerships enable millions of people to travel with their own personal vehicles. Counselors provide advice to restore peace in a person. These are big-picture ideas, born from a passion to make a difference in the world.
IACET’s vision is to Advance the Global Workforce.
IACET exists to enable employees in every nation to perform at a greater capacity. A characteristic of this involves a continual, communal increase in knowledge and skills for the betterment of society. Consider how the Vision Statement looks ahead in an ongoing pursuit of a particular goal – a future-facing mindset.
The mission of a company is equally as important as the vision, but its scope is more concrete. A mission’s driving force involves a strategically aligned “game-plan” to fulfill the vision. In other words: what is a tangible way the vision can be pursued as an operating business?
IACET’s mission is to Improve the quality of continuing education and training worldwide through accreditation.
To advance the global workforce (the vision), IACET has focused on refining the way in which Continuing Education and Training is designed, developed, and delivered. A fundamental trait of quality is consistency, and the best way to promote this on a large-scale effort is through a set of standards. By establishing a binding expectation that is applied uniformly, quality is improved, and results are predictable. Accreditation allows applying entities to be transparent in their internal processes and policies and to showcase their adherence to a consistent Standard of best practices.
It is crucial that organizations review and revisit their Vision and Mission Statements routinely. A lack of direction or purpose amongst staff can be breeding grounds for disengagement, burnout, and dissatisfaction in daily tasks, consequently resulting in lower employee productivity, accomplishment, and morale.
What is your organization’s vision? How does your mission statement seek to fulfill that vision?
About the Author
As the Coordinator of Accreditation and Training, Alexa is responsible for assisting with matters related to upholding best practices for continuing education and training. Her duties include hosting virtual site visits, helping facilitate IACET workshops and webinars, and providing information throughout the ANSI/IACET 1-2018 Standard and Application review process.
She also serves as the Digital Badging Standard Committee staff liaison.
Alexa has a Bachelor of Arts in Integrative Studies and earned a Master of Education from George Mason University. She lives in the Washington DC metro area, and enjoys staying active, being outdoors, and spending time with friends and family.