I Thought It Was Only Ice Cream

I thought we were just getting ice cream. I certainly didn’t think I’d be getting a reminder in mission, vision and values.

Our youngest daughter had rowed in the state sculling competition earlier that day, so here we were, figuring we’d chase dinner with ice cream from Ann Marie’s Southern Cream in the heart of Sarasota, FL.

But even before the excellent ice cream arrived (#notanad #justafan) I found myself reading the side of their setup (see photo above) and thinking back to Point 4 in The Soul of a Team, in which Tony Dungy and I wrote that a high-performing team should have a Larger Purpose. (The L in S-O-U-L.)

MISSION STATEMENT

To honor God in all we do

AND TO PROVIDE GREAT

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

THROUGH THE

Joy of serving ice cream

Simple, but creative, finding that purpose that binds us together in something larger than ourselves.

Does your company have one? Can the team members articulate it? Is it worth rallying around?

Sometimes finding it can take some creativity, but it’s worth it.

And yes, my wife got the fancy White Chocolate Raspberry, while I had the…yes…Cookie Monster:

#purpose #largerpurpose #missionstatement #mission #creativity #team #teambuilding #soulofateam