How to Craft a Mission Statement you Actually Use

A mission statement is an important part of your business.

It tells your clients, your employees, and your partners who you are and what you are all about.

But the problem is that not everyone pays attention to a mission statement…

After all, it’s just a sentence or two telling everyone why a business or company exists.

But it’s the best example of how much you can do for less. Although it doesn’t seem all that important at first, crafting a good mission statement could help you effectively reach your audience.

The keyword here is “useful” since not all mission statements serve that purpose.

Before you create one for your business or company, think about how it conveys your brand to your clients, business partners, community, and employees in a concise manner.

Do You Really Need a Mission Statement?

Mission statements vary in form and length; a one-sentence statement is far too common, while others think crafting one with several paragraphs works better.

Regardless of length, a mission statement describes a business’ purpose, but its effectiveness differs in the way it is crafted. For you to give it meaning and purpose, it must successfully distinguish your company from the competition.

At the same time, talk about the direction and future and the common goal from which all employees must work towards achieving.

Businesses need a mission statement to generate direction.

To be useful, it must lay out a framework for employees to establish the brand’s presence.

From the consumer’s perspective, it must set the company apart from others, but carefully doing it so that it doesn’t hinder or limit the scope or purpose.

The most successful companies don’t mention the specifics of the products or services they offer; the statement must be broad enough to allow your business to grow into an enterprise that you haven’t envisioned today.

Striking a Balance

In a nutshell, a mission statement tells everyone the purpose of your business’ existence and what makes it unique. But you must craft with caution, striking a balance between optimism and realism.

See these two examples:

• “We offer high-quality products and premium services.”
• “Our goal is to be an industry leader.”

The first sentence represents realism, while the second exemplifies optimism. None of those declarations captures the essence of a good mission statement on their own. On the other hand, combining them affords more substance.

To craft a practicable mission statement, incorporate these elements:

• Value
• Credibility
• Inspiration
• Precision

Value refers to the significance or worth of your business to your customers and employees.

Credibility means giving thought to your statement, informing the audience of your business’ plausibility. Inspiration answers the question of why people should engage in your company, either as employees or clients. Finally, precision delves into the details of what you’re offering as a business.

Talk About the Purpose

Why does your company exist? It’s the question that serves as the starting point for all mission statements.

Identifying your product or service makes sense as it’s why your target audience would be interested in reading the statement.

Be sure to mention whom the product or service is for, its value, and your delivery plan. All these elements help you convey your company’s purpose to both your employees and consumers.

Be Straightforward

There’s no room for jargon and unconventional lingo in a mission statement.

The objective is to say more by writing less.

You don’t want people to have a hard time remembering your mission, especially the employees. If they can’t remember the mission, it’ll be difficult to align their productivity with your company’s goals.

Therefore, pick your words and use terminology that’s easy to understand.

Inspire

Effective mission statements are reasonable and practical but don’t forget about the goal to inspire.

Your company’s mission must be powerful enough to encourage your workforce to unite for one vision.

Inspire your employees by stating specific behaviours, allowing them to translate abstract realism to activities in the real world.

Moreover, define what your company offers to the employees – you want your people to be motivated to work for a common goal.

Don’t vaguely talk about how your business benefits your workers.

Instead, talk about specific qualities such as diversity, equality, and respect for ideas and comprehensive training and tools for improved productivity.

Give your employees reason to feel that the company isn’t merely about addressing the needs of its customers.

Keep It Short

You can write an entire page or two for your mission statement, but you shouldn’t.

You probably have seen large companies do it, yet it doesn’t mean it applies to you.

Conveying your company’s message to the audience must be brief and sharp. People don’t like reading mission statements in the first place because they’re too long.

The idea is to be as concise as possible but effective enough to serve its purpose.

The mission statement is not an essay; you want it to be bound to your company, which means it should be easily remembered.

A lengthy text is never memorable. You’ll realize once you start writing that there’s a lot you can express in a few words.