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The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life (Paperback)
by Laurie Beth Jones
| Category:
Self improvement, Self help, Leadership |
| Market price: ¥ 158.00
MSL price:
¥ 148.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
A soulful, non-intimidating, and life-altering approach to mission statement, and self-discovery. |
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Author: Laurie Beth Jones
Publisher: Hyperion Books; Reprint edition
Pub. in: August, 1998
ISBN: 0786882417
Pages: 224
Measurements: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
Origin of product: USA
Order code: BA00493
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- Awards & Credential -
National Bestseller (in North America) |
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- MSL Picks -
Laurie Beth Jones' survey of the basic principles of creating mission statements and vision statements is accompanied by her personal observations. She includes stories about clients, business associates and friends, and stories from the Bible. The book focuses on ways each individual can develop a personal path to guide him or her through professional and personal life. The book is written in short, easy-to-read sections. The basic message about missions and goals is familiar. Many readers will find that this book offers a quick and useful guide to creating an overall plan, within an inspirational and spiritual context. However, some may admire her strong Christian orientation and others may find themselves uncomfortable with it. As she notes, her personal mission is to "recognize, promote and inspire the divine connection in myself and others." She fulfills that mission with the book's underlying Christian message. We [...] recommend this book to those who wish to develop a personal plan and who are interested in including a Christian-oriented spiritual dimension in that process.
(Rolf Dobelli, Switzerland)
Target readers:
General readers
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Laurie Beth Jones is President and founder of The Jones Group, an advertising, marketing, and business development firm whose mission is "to recognize, promote, and inspire divine excellence." With her partner, Mary Ellen Dempsey, and a team of highly energized experts, they specialize in health care marketing. Listed in the International Who's Who, Laurie is a former president of the El Paso chapter of American Women in Radio and Television, was among the first Most Notable Women of Texas, was named an Outstanding West Texas Scholar, and is an alumna of Leadership El Paso and Lead San Diego. She has won numerous awards in design, copywriting, poetry, speech, and racquetball. She lives in California.
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From the Publisher:
In a world in which we are daily forced to make decisions that lead us either closer to or further from our goals, no tool is as valuable in providing direction as a mission statement - a brief, succinct, and focused statement of purpose that can be used to initiate, evaluate, and refine all of life's activities.
Individuals and companies have recently been learning what history has demonstrated all along - that people or groups with carefully defined missions have always led and surpassed those who have none. Yet the process of outlining that mission statement has been, up to now, an arduous one that all too few have committed the time, energy, and resources to undertake.
In The Path, Laurie Beth Jones, author of the national bestseller Jesus CEO, provides inspiring and practical advice to lead listeners through every step of both defining and fulfilling a mission. With more than ten years' experience in assisting groups and individuals, Jones offers clear, step-by-step guidance that help you create a mission statement in a matter of hours rather than a month or years.
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| View all 12 comments |
An American reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
Great, how Laurie puts the ways Jesus acted and other stories from the bible and great ones in relation to our everyday life and our businesses. If you are familiar with the thoughts of the bible, you will see them in a new light and will really want to put them into practice. If you were not interested in the bible until now, Laurie will show you in an easy to understand way how practical these people were and how much we are still in similar problems. Many stories, put into new words and put in relation to Laurie s experiences and knowledge, can give us resolutions for our life and show us ways to really live it on highest standards. The words of Jesus, his "Mission Statement": "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." really becomes reachable. |
Larry Dotson (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
Laurie Beth Jones should be a required read for anyone that is dealing with leadership. Her insights are well worth your time and is written in a manner that all could enjoy. |
Richardo (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
In the book The path, Ms. Jones demonstrates how "People with clearly defined missions have always led those who haven't any. You are either living your mission or you are living someone else's."
Although Ms. Jones reaches into the historical past of Judeo-Christian tradition for many of her examples, she also gives many personal and contemporary accounts. The religious references may put off some non-religious readers, yet the book still has many powerful exercises that do help you create a powerful mission statement.
Ms. Jones is humorous at times which helps to drive home her points. One of my favorites is when she is making the case for the power behind having a clear mission statement. "I often visualize heaven as being like a catalog fulfillment center, full of angels reading requests. `This one reads, `I want to be happy in the future', says Gabriel. `What exactly does that mean?' asks Michael. `I do not know. What should I do with it?' asks Gabriel. `Put it in the hold file, with all the rest. Someday maybe these humans will learn to be specific," sighs Michael, as he marks yet another request incomplete".
The heart of the book is the chapter entitled "Creating the Vision Statement." Here she created two very practical sets of exercises. One for individuals and the other for groups/organizations. Each question is designed to help you create a clearer vision of what you want thus helping you to attract, manifest and get clear about "the path" you want to follow. |
Jennifer Serftl (MSL quote), USA
<2007-01-09 00:00>
Go into any Fortune 500 company headquarters and not far from the door you will probably find a plaque with a mission statement and a vision statement. Since the early 1990's companies have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars creating mission and vision statements that serve as a anchor for all employee goals and objectives. Laurie Beth Jones reminds us why this is a critical investment for companies and urges individuals to invest the time, energy and discipline necessary to articulate their own mission and vision statements. She claims this is essential in order for one to gain a higher level of clarity for how daily activities align to fulfill an individual's goals and purpose. In addition, Jones asserts, "What we think about ourselves is clearly and unequivocally reflected in everything we say or do-in our work, our surroundings, our service to others. Therefore it is important to take the time to get a more clear picture of who we really think we are."
This book is a "must read" for independent consultants, managers, and people in job transition. For the independent consultant the book offers exercises designed to help identify niche and ways to articulate value. With so many independent consultants-even within our Rochester community, the better the consultant has done the work of creating a mission it will help him/her determine the clients and companies that most align with the value they have to offer. For the manager, the book is full of ideas that may be useful in team building and in capturing the most for employees. As a manager, one gets rewarded for achieving results through other people. By taking the time with employee and teams and working through some of the exercises that allow individuals to determine the values that are important to them and the actions that are most rewarding they will be able to align projects with people in a way that enhances productivity. And for the individual in job transition the book offers key questions to help a person envision the type of work that best allows for the individual to live his/her mission in a work setting. To find a motivational and value based fit, the person seeking employment will have greater articulation of "bottom line" essentials that are fulfilling and motivating. Jones shares that "passion is power" and the more clearly defined and articulated that passion is-the more power that can be released.
So what is the difference between a mission and vision statement? A mission statement is a sentence that articulates key actions, an audience, and a purpose. A mission statement must be broad enough to encompass many activities with a final outcome. Here are Jones ingredients to an effective mission statement: A mission statement should be no more that one single sentence long. It should be easily understood by a twelve year old. It should be able to be recited by memory at gun-point.
A vision statement is less of a strategy than an exercise in visualization. A vision statement requires an individual or a company to write down exactly what the "picture" will look like once the mission has been carried out. A vision statement requires imagination and what Jones calls positive "prophecy." Jones encourages that,"One of the most important things we can do for others-and for ourselves - is to create and maintain an atmosphere charged with positive prophecies." That is what vision statements do-they project into the future and create a more desirable picture that is motivating, inspiring, and desired. For companies that are going through major changes and struggling with bringing the workforce along with the necessary changes, I recommend this book as a strategy to help leaders and managers to support staff in creating scenarios to create vision as leverage for change.
A recommendation for leading you or your organization with the use of mission and vision statements is to keep both the mission and vision present together. With the latest technology, you can now watch two football games simultaneously. A television channel can be superimposed on another so you can follow two games at the same time, a "picture within a picture". That is exactly what is required to make the most use of mission and vision statements. They must be present while you are in the midst of your work and daily activities. The two pictures or channels Jones encourages you to watch are channel WCI (What Currently Is) and channel WCB (What Could Be). Keeping these two channels or pictures present allows for you, your team, and your company to make decision in alignment with the articulated mission and vision.
I firmly believe that whether we are individual contributors or part of a corporate entity, we can offer the most value by being clear in our skills, gifts and purpose. This book will help you gain and articulate some of that clarity. In addition to this book, I strongly recommend Soloing-Realizing Your Life's Ambition by Harriet Rubin.
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