When Jesus ascended he gave us Two Valuable Commands:

by Pat Darnell
Sometimes attending Business school, a professor will go ahead and move outside the box. That is, she will say something not usually said in class. One time Professor X PhD/ Mrs, said: "Always Value Added first."

We were discussing Vision, Mission, Value Added statements of businesses. Most businesses do have those kinds of headers, that are descriptions of core competency. It is usually an overstatement of the obvious, but still very necessary for the company employees, agents and all the customers.

That said; Professor X PhD/ Mrs., was determined we all get this message... "1 -- 2 -- 3: Value Added Statement, Vision Statement, then Mission Statement." Most of us had in our minds that Vision is first. [VA--What it is; V--Why we got Here; M--This is our action]


After her HR course is long over, and I look around with new eyes, and this new professorial mandate, most all headers are visionary statements. It leads to this conclusion: the last is first, and if it isn't it should be, as il' Professore says.

It turns out one morning I'm reading a critical article in HR Magazine while waiting for the dentist. One editor explains that in a lunch meeting with his Mentor one day, this subject of Value Added came up.

The HRM Editor like all others had put it last in the triumvirate of boiler plate core competency statements. His Mentor had things to say about his Value Added statement that is two paragraphs long, also a no-no.

Mentor: "HRM Ed, you have it wrong."

HRM Ed: "Haaarummmph, what?"

Mentor: "You have misused the substance of your great company and made it weak."

HRM Ed: "Bu... bu... but,"

Mentor: "Value added is like this triple meat cheese bacon DQ Burger sitting here sizzling on the plate in front of us filling this whole area with aroma."

"Soon after I have a bite," biting, "now you have removed something of its value... the juiciness, the flavor, that is the vision part."

"Don't interrupt me; now I sip this blizzard, and have this salty fry... that is the mission of value added. And I get a hankering to come here once a month and indulge."

HRM Ed: "Uh... well... imagery, urgency, uh expectancy??"

Mentor: "You're confused. Understandably; look at it from the customer eye. This is ambiance, nostalgia, pre-meal humor, locale and color, ones little getaway, Ted Kennedy in a Speedo on his yacht. Yes?"

HRM Ed: Unable to eat, or respond: "Errr..."

[I hate it when he does this, like my dentist when he has my mouth all numb and held open while I gag on suction tubes, asks me: 'So, have you been flossing? Have you been going to Church? Did you now Jesus Loves You?']

So I nod, and stare like the sacrificial lamb.

Mentor: "Like the 99 cent store we passed on the way here: 'Everything 99 cents,' right out on the front sign. Value Added -- nothing is over 99 cents. You go in with 49 dollars and exit with about 41 things, tax is added of course. But if you have a tax number you can get all 49 things... no?"

HRM Ed: "Okay, I'm catching up now... so I have to put our Value added up front, or get a new job. I get it."

Mentor: "That's right; but that's not all. I want you to write on this napkin your Value Added Statement. I'd say about twelve words is all you need. If you cannot, then you might want to rethink your existence."

HRM Ed: "Twelve words? on this napkin..."

Mentor: "Yes, before we leave; before I finish my Blizzard."