A compelling mission statement can help inspire people and
galvanize their energy to make it come true.
People in organizations tend to forget about the "noble goals" of
the organization as they get caught up in their day-to-day
responsibilities. A mission statement makes clear to all
stakeholders in an organization what the organization is about in a
concise, memorable way.
A mission statement has significant advantages to YSO
leaders:
- It helps organization leaders communicate to
all the organization's members what the core values of the
organization are. Organizations with strong commitments to their
mission take every opportunity (newsletters, banners, presentations
to coaches and parents, etc.) to remind members of the
mission.
- It helps organizations deal with difficult, ambiguous
situations. When a problem comes up and the appropriate action
isn't clear, returning to the mission statement should provide
guidance for how to act.
- It is a way of beginning conversations about the values of the
YSO. Conversations are an important way that people assess and
modify their values and behavior, so stimulating conversations
about Positive Coaching among parents, coaches, athletes, fans and
officials is a good thing.
- It helps hold an organization accountable. It provides a way to
assess the current state of the organization versus the ideal goal.
For example, if there is a banner on the field with the PCA logo on
it, it may cause a parent to more readily question the behavior of
a coach who is verbally abusive to players or officials. This tends
to reinforce the mission in the minds of the people who do the work
of the organization.
PCA believes every YSO should have a mission statement that
explicitly states the goal of using the sports experience to help
athletes develop positive character traits and values that will
help them succeed in the rest of their lives.
If Your YSO Has a Mission Statement
If your YSO has a mission statement, examine it to see if it
reflects what you aspire to for your organization. For example, if
it's important to you that kids have fun playing in your YSO, then
that should be in the mission statement. Positive Coaching should
be an explicit element of the mission statement. Here is one
example of a mission statement:
(YSO name) aspires to be an outstanding educational-athletic
organization that provides a high-quality experience to every
athlete. A high-quality experience is one in which every athlete
- Is coached using the principles of Positive Coaching
- Has fun playing the game
- Feels like an important part of the team regardless of
performance
- Learns "life lessons" that have value beyond the playing
field
- Learns the skills, tactics and strategies of the game and
improves as a player
We recognize that the coach is the one who most directly makes this
all possible. It is our goal to provide every coach with tools to
be able to be successful as a Positive Coach. We are committed to
creating a positive culture in which coaches, parents, fans,
officials and athletes work together to achieve our mission.
If Your YSO Does Not Have a Mission Statement
Use this Road Map to start the process of developing a mission
statement that captures what the organization aspires to do and be.
Ask the board to appoint a small committee to write a draft mission
statement and field-test it with coaches, parents, officials and
athletes. The committee can then bring the statement to the board
for a vote to approve.
Return to the Roadmap
to Excellence.