“We’re here for the farmer.”
I was surprised and impressed at such a simple statement that carried with it so much power and mission.
Here’s the story…For agricultural supplies for my niche farm, I go to a small supply company. It’s literally nestled in a farm field with no sign out front. Their catalog only just started being in color this year. In the catalog, there are no fancy statements, no big descriptions on products.
There is no browsing around at this store. You just stand at a small counter attached to a big warehouse. You place your order, the workers pick the items in the back, and it shows up on a pallet at your vehicle.
This store has incredibly low prices. They beat every seller I’ve seen on Amazon for many products. In addition, if I’m a bit puzzled what will work best for me, the workers at the counter will help me figure out some products and their applicability to my needs.
I really wonder how they compete, how they stay in business. But, they are actually growing. I’m glad, because I like shopping there. When I was there last week, I made a comment to the clerk about how much I appreciated their amazingly low prices.
The clerk immediately responded with “We’re here for the farmer,” and kept working on my order. This succinct and top-of-mind response took my breath away. It showed that this company has a very clear mission and value statement rolled up in a mere five words. Our area is not filled with large agri-business, as most farms are less than 100 acres and run by families. Therefore, when this supply house says, “we’re here for the farmer,” they understand how they need to connect with those people, how to create a value for them (i.e. agricultural supplies, easy to obtain, good variety, affordable pricing), and they realize that they are contributing to the rich agricultural and family heritages of this region. This is a true testament of what enabling joy in work looks like.
Many teams struggle to know a succinct, one phrase response to “Why are we here?” The temptation to say, “yes AND what about… ,” is when you end up with the paragraph mission statement that nearly resembles an organization chart. I’ve led many a team through planning efforts that went down that road.
Can you imagine if my compliment to the clerk had been met with a typical mission statement response, of “Why yes we provide what family farmers in our region need today at affordable prices.” It just isn’t the same is it?!?! There’s no emotional response.
Do you know WHO you are “here for?” Does that come across in your mission in ONE phrase? What would your mission sound like in ONE phrase? Try it. It makes an impact.
The mission at eNthusaProve is equip the team leader to enable joy in work. That takes on many forms, just like the agricultural supplies come in many kinds. We believe that team leaders hold a special place in our organizations that require a special type of leadership, and we are here for those leaders.
