Book Review: The Mission Always Wins

 

Information about the book

The Mission Always Winds: Quit Appeasing Stakeholders by Tod Bolsinger.  Intervarsity Press. Downers Grove, Illinois. 2024

Summary

From Amazon: Every organization faces pivotal moments that can either blur their vision or strengthen their resolve. Through insightful storytelling, engaging illustrations, and practical exercises, Bolsinger helps you cut through the noise to hone in on what truly matters—your mission. The Mission Always Wins isn't just about theory; it's packed with real-life case studies and actionable advice, so you can foster alignment and purpose within your team. The Mission Always Wins is your go-to guide for learning to navigate the choppy waters of organizational change with precision and purpose.

Impressions

This is one of a series of four books in Bolsinger's Practicing Change Series.  In a world where we often strive for win-win situations, attempt to please everyone, and placate those who are invested in what we are doing, this book reminds us that the mission should always win. Every. Time.

Here are some quotes:

• At those times, the desire to find a win-win solution was not actually a solution to a real problem but a way that leaders unconsciously tried to lower the conflict of the moment.
• Every time, in every decision, the key question is: Does it further our mission?
• [A mission statement is] a clear purpose and reason for being that comes out of the core values and summaries the core ideology of the organization.  It captures what endures and the specific conditions the organization faces. It is not something that is change slightly, but it is also not something that is etched in stone.

I liked this book, and would recommend it.