[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]Our dynamic new marketing manager, Susan Martin, recently sat me down to get some clarification about my vision for St. Louis Staffing—a wise and useful assignment for any CEO to do periodically. As I wrote in a recent blog post on Finding Meaning in Work, helping people find meaningful employment is a mission for me.[/font]
[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]I was strongly influenced decades ago by Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical letter on work, in which he said:[/font]
[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]Yet there is an important distinction between one’s mission and one’s vision. A mission defines why you do what you do; a vision shows you where you hope to be. For St. Louis Staffing, this means continuing to grow in crucial and effective ways. After all, if we’re succeeding with 500 employees and 50 customers, why not ten times that amount? It is my vision that we be able to provide our services to a greater number of people, placing an able-bodied work force with clients who benefit from that work getting done.[/font]
[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]We have no walls, only hurdles—and we are poised to clear them. We have great processes, the ability to spot good talent and evaluate excellent customers, and we’re in an industry that is growing. The main challenge for us—and one I welcome—is to provide the same high level of service while utilizing quickly developing new technologies. I recognize that to be a market leader, we have to have a large talent base, top-notch software, and a firm grasp on regulations. There are many moving pieces, and those pieces are moving faster than ever. The trick is to function at that speed without removing the human element.[/font]
[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]After all, our business consists of people who we not only employ, but also get to know. My goal of expansion is only significant if it stays true to my belief that meaningful work elevates us as humans. Though technology provides ever more effective tools, we must never rely on mere data without incorporating the human element.[/font]
[font=verdana, 'Bitstream Charter', serif]As our business and personal lives move rapidly ahead into the New Year, often facilitated by the ease of technology, I invite you to think about how your mission and vision intersect. That, I believe, is where we all find meaning.[/font]
