To understand your role in the planning process, let’s begin at the top of your organization, with its mission.
A corporate mission statement is the starting place in planning. It articulates the company’s vision—what the company will evolve into. It gives direction to all within the firm. It tells everyone who they are, what they are, and, most importantly, what they are striving to become. The more succinct the statement of mission, the clearer it may be. Henry Ford used eight words to describe his company’s mission in 1903: “I will build a motorcar for the multitude.”