Mission

“We’re mission-driven.”

“We really focus on our mission.”

“We have an amazing, world-changing mission.”

“Our mission is to elevate the world’s consciousness.”

The term “mission-driven” has become so over-used that it’s hard to understand what it really means anymore. WeWork’s mission was to elevate the world’s consciousness… through co-working? It often feels hollow when companies talk about their missions or try to shoehorn their business into a “mission-driven” framework as a recruiting and selling tactic.

And everyone’s definition of “mission” is different.

Here’s my definition of a company mission that I want to align with:

My goal in picking companies is that if I do my job well (which is to build and grow the company) then a lot of people (not just employees) will have a better outcome in life.

That’s it. That’s my evaluation criteria.

And this really became important to me in the last decade when I started working at Lyft.

My last four roles all have excellent missions – ones where a lot of people will have a better outcome if I do my job well. This isn’t the only criteria (remember there are 3 pillars) but it is an important one if you want to be inspired to come into work every day and solve the hard problems of building and growing a company.

Lyft → Drivers earn income on a flexible schedule that works with their lives. Passengers can get access to transportation that they might not otherwise have had agnostic of neighborhood, age, race, etc. And eventually, the idea of shared rides cuts down on single-occupancy vehicles.

WyzAnt (now part of IXL Learning) → Educational marketplace for tutors. Students have better outcomes through working with a tutor, do better in school and build confidence. Tutors generate a reliable and lucrative income stream that they can use to support themselves.

Patreon → Fund the emerging, creative class. Make it easy and acceptable for a creative person to follow their passion and earn a salary just like a doctor, accountant, lawyer, or tech worker. More creators building small businesses create opportunities for their team members and enjoyment for their fans. Creators make better art when they are not dependent on selling ads and clicks.

Imperfect Foods → Cut down on food waste and build the worlds most sustainable grocer. Reduce carbon emissions throughout the food chain and provide farmers with a fair price for food that would otherwise go to waste. Provide access to healthy, more affordable food choices to people across the United States.

Now, there isn’t anything inherently wrong with someone choosing a company that doesn’t have an inspiring and world-changing mission. It’s just not my choice.

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