Mission Isn’t Important…
If you’ve spent any time in leadership circles—business, ministry, or anywhere decisions matter—you’ve heard plenty about mission. Companies craft mission statements, leaders talk about “staying mission-focused,” and organizations plaster their missions on walls, websites, and company swag.
But here’s a question that cuts through the noise:
What is your mission?
Not your job description.
Not your organization’s branding line.
Not the thing you say in interviews.
I mean the singular force driving everything you do in life.
Most of us never stop long enough to ask that question. And when we do, we often think in institutional terms—especially in the U.S., where we frequently associate “mission” with the military.
Consider these missions:
U.S. Army: “…deploy, fight, and win the nation's wars by providing ready, prompt, and sustained land dominance as part of the joint force, securing the U.S. and its interests through effective land operations…”
U.S. Navy: “…maintain, train, and equip combat-ready naval forces to win wars, deter aggression, and ensure freedom of the seas, protecting America's economic prosperity and promoting national security through global presence and power projection at sea, working with allies and partners…”
U.S. Marine Corps: “…to be the nation's premier expeditionary force-in-readiness, providing agile, adaptable forces to fight and win America's battles across the globe, projecting power from the sea, and supporting naval campaigns, all while embodying the ethos of ‘Semper Fidelis’…”
U.S. Air Force: “Fly, fight, and win in air, space, and cyberspace.”
Clear. Strong. Purposeful.
But here’s the truth:
Soldiers don’t give their lives because of a paragraph in a handbook. They sacrifice because of the people those missions represent. Their mission matters because it is rooted in something greater than themselves.
And that’s where your mission—and mine—begins.
Mission brings clarity.
Clarity brings courage.
Courage brings impact.
Maverick Leaders Are Mission-Anchored
Whether leading a business, ministry, classroom, or family, your mission shapes everything.
The leaders we respect - most aren’t just strategic or charismatic. They’re grounded in something deeper:
A desire to serve, not be served
A passion for people
A commitment to growth, honesty, and self-evaluation
The humility to surround themselves with those who complement their weaknesses
The courage to lead with values, character, and discipline
These aren’t personality traits.
They’re mission traits.
Mission produces authenticity.
Authenticity produces trust.
Trust produces long-term influence.
I’ve had the tremendous opportunity to command four different units over my military career. During my most recent post I addressed the entire crew. I pointed to the eagle in the center of my chest…my rank insignia. Probably shocking most of them I said that the Navy did not promote me throughout my career for me or my family. Rather, they promoted me for each one of them…to use my rank, my authority, my influence…to help each one of them become the best versions of themselves.
In business, the military, and in life…people are our mission.
And our mission isn’t important…
Our Mission… isn’t… important.
Our Mission. Is. Everything.
Mission is your purpose in action.
It is the organizing principle of your life.
It frames your values, your relationships, your leadership, and your legacy.
Webster defines a mission as “a specific task with which a person or group is charged.”
We’ve all been charged with something.
Some discover it early.
Others stumble onto it later.
But our lives will all be measured at the place where our purpose intersects with our mission—where the thing for which we’ve been uniquely designed collides with the people we’re called to serve.
So: What’s your mission?