A Mission Statement is an essential building block to developing a strong organizational culture. When a mission statement is well written, it can inspire a team and give them purpose. Unfortunately, too many mission statements are poorly written and thus do little to help align and motivate an organization.
It doesn’t have to be this way!
Below are 3 essential elements to creating a well-crafted mission statement that will have a tremendous impact on your organization.
#1 Answers the Critical Question
First, the mission statement should clearly answer the critical question: why do people go to work each day within your organization?
People need a clear purpose of why they do what they do at work. A mission statement should provide this clear purpose to help unify the team and guide their decisions. When a mission statement clearly answers the question of why people go to work each day, it has the power to transform an organization.
#2 Clear
Second, a mission statement needs to be very clear.
Using big words that nobody understands or long run-on sentences that are confusing is never a good idea. People should be able to read your mission statement and easily understand it without having to ask questions. The more clear a mission statement is the better.
#3 Concise
Finally, the mission statement must be concise. One sentence is ideal—two short sentences at the very most.
A mission statement must be easily repeated and memorized. A long, drawn out mission statement is seldom repeated, rarely memorized, and often forgotten.
The hope of any organization should be that their people are able to easily recite their mission statement. When this happens, it can influence day to day operations and decision-making.
Google is a great example of a company with a well-crafted mission statement. Google’s mission is, “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”. Notice how their mission statement: 1) answers the critical question, 2) is clear and easy to understand, and 3) is concise.
A well-crafted mission statement can have a significant impact on an organization. If your mission statement does not line up with the 3 essentials, then modify it so that it does.
Don’t underestimate the power of a well-written mission statement for your organization!
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