Today’s topic is one that we are discussing internally as a team, so we thought we’d share our thoughts in the hope it might help others is the same position.
I’m willing to wager that if I asked the majority of people if they knew what their company’s mission statement was, I’d probably draw a blank. This might also be the result from the company not even having one to begin with.
But what is a mission statement, why have one, and what makes it good, or bad…?
Say the word mission statement and most people will roll their eyes while silently groaning inwards, for we are now entering the realm of over-hyped, cheesy “we can do this team (enter your identity here)”, American kitsch, aren’t we?
But look a little deeper and you’ll find that there is real meaning and purpose behind a well-defined mission statement. The problem is really that for many businesses, little to no thought has gone into the writing of said mission statement OR, the statement has been tacked onto a business at a later date in the hope that somehow just by “putting it out there” it’s going to magically bestow greatness upon the organisation.
And that’s the crux of it. A mission statement is really a definition of your companies Purpose, Strategy, Value and Vision. These are all things that define your organisation, make up its DNA. Just tacking on a few generic overused statements is not going to fool or empower anyone!
For the sake of keeping this piece short for this newsletter, I’ve restricted myself to breaking this concept down into just two parts. So, lets now take a look at what are, in my humble opinion, two of the most important parts of a mission statement
- For your organisation to exist it needs PURPOSE… so what is this purpose? Also, is it CLEAR to EVERYONE what this purpose is? If people feel they don’t have a MEANINGFUL purpose, then they will only be turning up for a paycheck, and as soon a bigger one makes itself available, they will be gone. Define a strong purpose and like-minded people will align to it, both employee and customer. This is the start of a strong brand.
- So now we know what your purpose is, but HOW are we going to execute on it? This is where we mix in STRATEGY to the equation. If you know WHAT you are doing and HOW you are going to do it, you will be able to communicate a high degree of CERTAINTY about your organisation and its outcomes. Employees like certainty, customer like certainty and markets like certainty – certainty is a GOOD thing to have when in business.
I believe a mission statement should embody both purpose and strategy in a singular, succinct and inspiring statement.
Here are a couple of very clear mission statements from brands you know:
PAYPAL – “To build the Web’s most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution.”
ADOBE – “To move the web forward and give web designers and developers the best tools and services in the world.”
GREENPEACE – “Greenpeace is an independent campaigning organisation, which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future.”
So, there we have it folks, be CLEAR, have PURPOSE and communicate STRATEGEY (what you are going to do). This is a deep topic, but hopefully this should give you a springboard to leap off into greater detail.
