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Mission Statement

In this day and age many people feel that Mission Statements have become irrelevant. With the speed of decisions and change that occurs so quickly, many Executives say that Mission Statements are too confining, they lack the fluidity that is necessary to compete in a fast paced world and are window dressing that have no value.

To those people, I simply ask them to “think again.” Mission Statements, if crafted correctly, are the cornerstone to an effective strategy. Mission Statements that are short, memorable and uniting can help all team members within an organization stay true to why that company exists.

So what is a good Mission Statement? Here are some of the qualities that I have found in Great Mission’s:

1. The statement is short. Less than 10 words and easy to remember
2. The statement answers the question, “Why does our company exist?”
3. It is used to make big decisions. So when someone in a meeting says, “Hold on, we are too in weeds, let’s step back and look at the big picture.” The Mission Statement can be referenced to provide clarity of direction and decision making
4. The Mission Statement is genuine and “lived.” Meaning that the culture of the company is inline with “it’s essence.” So when a Googler thinks about a new product or service - they can test it against - “Does this, Do No Evil?” And if it does no evil then it is in alignment.
5. The company should be on a Mission not just have a well written, verbose Mission Statement. So when Merck sets out to preserve and improve human life - that is a Mission that people can support.
6. It should be communicated often and should be easy to find within any office of the company
7. It should appear in all annual reports and strategic communications
8. It should be used in the hiring process to help identify candidates that can aid in it’s accomplishment
9. It should stand the test of time (20 years is a good length). If you can look at your Mission Statement and say 20 years from today we will still be focused on that “end” - then you have a solid foundation
10. It should be a worthwhile aim. Mission Statements that lack passion, importance and relevance to employees, clients and shareholders aren’t worth the effort it takes to create and communicate them

With these qualities stated, here are some tips to create a great Mission.

1. Ask your team this question - Why do we exist? Challenge them to think about this from an employee, client, shareholder and the general public at large standpoint.
2. Capture consistent themes that convey passion. For example, “To save lives;” “To share knowledge;” “To educate;” “To enhance;” “To simplify;” “To enrich.” These are all very brief ideas that convey a worthy effort.
3. Have your team (executive team) rank the top 3 themes and find the one that stands above all else.
4. Challenge them to consider if this ideal will be relevant 20 years from now
5. Once you have narrowed it down - have someone document it in 10 words or less.
6. Take some time to let it marinate and come back to it to see if it is correct
7. Once you are committed to it - then share it with the entire organization. Put it on your web site, your office walls, people’s desks, screen-savers, etc. I’ve even heard of companies that start meetings with a reading of their Mission Statement.
8. Use it to make decisions
9. Annually challenge your team to question where they are falling short of achievement toward it’s end
10. Live it

Here are some examples of great Mission Statement:

Disney - To make people happy
Google - To do no evil
Merck - To preserve and improve human life
Mary Kay - to give unlimited opportunity to women

To learn more about Mission Statements - here are some resources for you to review.

How To

The Growth Connection

Jim Collins (download the .pdf from this page)

My Strategic Plan

If you have a great Mission Statement - please send it to us.