Mission Creep

We recently watched a fascinating Netflix documentary that covered the trials and tribulations of a music event called the Frye Festival. The event was supposed to be a legendary music fest on a private island near the Bahamas. Private jets in, posh housing on site, food and beverage like no other, top flight musical acts, you get the deal. Sounds like a great experience, right? Problem is, the event never happened.

The event was the brainchild of musician Ja Rule and promoter Brian McFarland. It was a logistical nightmare from the jump. Lack of infrastructure on the island made the possibility of pulling everything off impossible. It was chaos from the beginning. Acts cancelled. The guests who paid tens of thousands of dollars to attend were quickly without food and water and the housing that was to be built wasn’t finished in time. Access on and off a private island was a challenge, so even when things went south, it wasn’t like you could call the airline and rebook your travel plans. They were stuck on the island while the promoters bailed as soon as they could. McFarland eventually served four years in prison for fraud for his role in all of it.

While the events of the festival made for a great documentary, there was one thing that stuck out to us as we watched it all unfold. One of the main people involved in producing the event had his team back in the States turn all of their attention to the festival. This proved to have a negative impact on their core business, which had nothing to do with the festival itself. As resources (such as time and human capital) were shifted to try and help save the festival, their primary company suffered. Even with warnings from their internal team, the promoters continued to double down and put all of their focus on a failing proposition. Which leads us to today’s Monday Huddle Up theme – mission creep.

Mission creep occurs when an organization (or a person) deviates from their primary function or service. We see it every day in the sports tourism and non-profit worlds we serve. An organization starts out focusing on one specific mission, then over time things get added, focus shifts to other things, and eventually you look up and you are in the wrong lane all together. It happens all the time.

This biggest challenge with mission creep is exactly what happened to the Frye Festival. When it gets to the point that one thing engulfs all of your resources, you run the risk that the organization will fail. This is the toxic example on the negative effects that diverting away from your key mission can have. Not all mission creep issues go this far. Often times it is just a small thing that becomes a bigger challenge, which is the reason you have to check the organization’s compass on a regular basis.

When was the last time you and your key stakeholders sat down and looked at what you do and why you do it? If you have to think about the answer to that, convene a leadership meeting ASAP.

Your organization should be revisiting its mission and how to enhance the impact on the community you serve on a regular basis. This should be done annually if not more frequently than that. Some of the best non-profits we have worked with actually put the mission and vision of the organization on the top of every meeting agenda. This is the level of vigor you should have when it comes to defining what victory looks like.

Define your mission. Check and recheck your direction. Avoid distractions. Stay in your lane. Consistently drive great value to those you serve.