Ask ten people in your organization what your company’s mission means, and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Some will recite it verbatim from the website. Others will paraphrase it into something more tactical. A few might shrug and say, “It’s what leadership cares about.”

We interpret everything, from strategy to slogans, through our own filters. Our roles, experiences, incentives, and biases. When leaders assume that “communicating the mission and goals” is enough, they miss the crucial step—helping people see how that mission translates for them.