THE MISSION STATEMENT

The mission statement is like the girder of a building. If one wants the building to grow and develop, one HAS TO GET THE GIRDER RIGHT.

Girders are large horizontal beams that act as the primary support for a building, to which all other smaller beams are connected, forming the structure's “skeleton.” This is the easiest way to picture the difference: girders are oversized beams. In fact, all girders are beams, but not all beams are girders.

A mission statement is a simple statement about the goals, values, and objectives of an organization. It helps an organization respond to change and make decisions that align with its vision. This brief description helps customers, employees, and leadership understand the organization's top priorities.

What makes a good mission statement? Is it a succinct sentence that captures your foundation's purpose, a catchy slogan, or something more? The best mission statements leave a lasting impression of your idea in the minds of the public.  

A quality mission statement incorporates your foundation's core-values and reflects your organization’s personality. So, how do you get started with crafting your own? And which companies are doing it right?

What exactly is a mission statement? A mission statement is defined as an action-based statement that declares the purpose of an organization and how it serves the world. This sometimes includes a description of the organization, what it does, and its objectives. A mission statement is a short summary of your organization’s purpose.

A mission statement provides perfect clarity behind the “what,” the “who,” and the “why,” of your organization. The best mission statements are guidelines by which you operate. Everything you do as an organization should work toward your mission statement.

Most mission statements are between one and three sentences, never exceeding 100 words. The best mission statements are typically a single succinct sentence, so keep this in mind when crafting yours.

How do I craft a mission statement?

When creating a mission statement, avoid the common pratfall of trying to summarize your organization’s services in a generic sentence.

• What prominent challenges does your organization solve? Why are you founding this organization?
   
• Who are your clients and what do they value most?
   
• What kind of image do we want to convey to the outside world as an organization?
   
• How do we use our services to reach our goals?
   

The best mission statements are developed by the leaders of the organization who understand its direction. Discuss the mission statements and identify central themes.

Next, review the common themes that emerge during conversations, distilling them into paragraphs. You’ll want to set aside several hours to do this or even an entire day. It’s important that you carve out the necessary time to spend on this process since crafting a mission statement is critical to identifying the motivations behind your business. When developing ideas, keep the following in mind:

Your mission statement should be attainable. Your organization should be working toward it already and it should be possible to achieve.

• Ensure your mission statement is clear so everyone can understand it. The best mission statements are inspiring.
• It should set your organization apart from others and be unique to you. Your mission statement needs to be credible and inspire buy-in from all your major stakeholders.

Once you’ve identified your themes, distill them down to simple sentences capturing the mission of your organization.

Once you have these paragraphs written, rewrite each to be more succinct. Eliminate as many unnecessary sentences as you can. Once you have each paragraph distilled down to three sentences, challenge yourself to combine these sentences into a single thought that encapsulates your theme. Do this with every theme you’ve discovered during your and you’ll end up with several options for a mission statement.

Common Mission Statement Mistakes to Avoid

While you’re developing ideas for your mission statement, be sure to avoid the following common mistakes:

1. Leaving Little Space for Inspiration: A mission that reads more like a fact sheet than something that explains a company’s reason for existing won’t be effective. Avoid simply listing what your organization does and shift focus to the bigger picture: what guides your organization's strategy and inspires your stakeholders.

Be sure to have fun with your mission statement! Don’t craft something that doesn’t resonate.

2. Lacking Personality and Fun

The best mission statements incorporate your company’s unique personality. Your mission statement should not be devoid of humanity. While it’s tempting to create a mission statement that presents your organization as a professional and serious organization, it’s more important (and ultimately more beneficial) to reflect the culture that makes your organization unique.

3. Using Buzzwords and Jargon

Bogging down your mission statement with buzzwords and jargon is a common misstep organizations make when crafting mission statements. The best mission statements are comprised of simple, clear language that directly communicates a company’s purpose.

Once you have identified a few options for your mission statement, present them to leadership and get feedback. Be prepared to hear a lot of conflicting opinions — this is all part of the process! Mission statements don’t evolve in a vacuum, and it will take time to iterate on your ideas. Once leadership has bought into your mission statement, you’re ready to start communicating about it to your employees.

You’ve crafted your mission statement. Now what?

After you have created your mission statement, be sure to communicate it to your workforce. After all, you don’t want to invest this time and effort only to have your mission statement lose impact. 

Meet with your leadership team to present your mission statement, take questions, and address any feedback. Once leadership has approved your mission statement, begin introducing it into the workplace. Send out a message to employees informing them of your new mission statement. 

This is also a good opportunity to reinforce your company’s core values by identifying and rewarding behaviors that align with them. Your mission statement should align with your core values, so use this chance to reward your team for embodying your organization’s purpose and values.

This positive reinforcement helps spread awareness about your new mission statement as well as boost morale. As a result, your company culture becomes even more appealing. With time, effort, and a strong mission statement, your company will be on the right track to focus on purpose and meaning.