I grew up in a cold climate in the northern United States. Winter consisted of months of grey days, freezing temperatures, snow, and ice. I learned to drive in snowy and icy conditions. My parents were cognizant of the importance of teaching me what to do if my vehicle began to slide on the ice and how to regain control. They taught me to be cautious whenever the weather conditions were untenable. Thus, I was well prepared to drive in threatening conditions and always proceeded carefully in order to avoid an accident.

Unfortunately, we are not always aware when threatening conditions exist. One example of a hidden threat on the roads during the winter season is black ice; a transparent layer of ice that freezes with few, if any, air bubbles trapped inside making it virtually invisible. Its’ imperceptibility has caused many accidents because unsuspecting drivers proceeded to drive on it with a "business as usual" approach, often with disastrous results.

Do you know your organization’s mission statement? Can you recite it word for word? Most would answer no to this question. But can you even summarize the general idea behind the mission statement? If the answer to this question is no, then what is the point of having a mission statement?

A mission statement is a call to order within the corporate proving ground. It is a statement that initiates action, formulates direction, and maintains key core values for all within the organization to follow. This serves as a template and defines the action and purpose of the corporate structure. Since most agree that the mission statement is a “must have” for all organizations, shouldn’t every employee be able to at least know the basic gist behind their organization’s mission statement? Is it just ink on paper or is there more to it?

Take Action

You’ve come this far. If you’ve conducted your survey yourself, and conducted it correctly, it has been a long process, hopefully made easier by this series of articles.

Don’t take your foot off of the gas now! Once you have analyzed your data, do something about it!

You now know the root cause(s) of your issues(s). Brainstorm on ideas to correct the issues, construct a plan of action, and get to work.

If you do not follow through on the results of your survey research, you have wasted your time and money and that of your customers and/or employees. Inaction will make respondents less likely to participate in future surveys. But, if respondents see action as a result of your survey they will know that their time in completing your survey was not wasted.

So, how do you proceed? Start by creating an Action Plan.

A recent research study by the National Business Research Institute, Inc. (“NBRI”) shows that opinions of the Automotive and Banking Industry Bailouts vary significantly by Gender, Age, Level of Education, State of Residence, and Political Affiliation. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 55,236 individuals in December, 2008. A total of 1,400 surveys were received for analysis. A confidence level of 99% and a 4% sampling error was achieved.

I live in an area of the country that compared to some regions, experiences fairly mild winters. Our winters are mild, not nonexistent. We experience below freezing temperatures and lawns, trees, and other outdoor plants go dormant. I happen to love roses and enjoy the long blooming season here. My roses usually begin blooming in March and continue to bloom until early December. As I am writing this paper it is winter. The thermometer has already dipped below the freezing mark and all plant life is dormant...almost. Recently I was in my yard and I happened to glance at one of my rose bushes expecting to see nothing but dead leaves and spent blooms. Instead, much to my surprise, I saw life...several clusters of tiny new leaves were growing on that rose bush...in the winter! That rose bush has overcome the odds. In spite of cold temperatures and a lack of any attention from me, it is growing.