We're all searching for that spark of inspiration that makes us more passionate, driven and empowered. For businesses, that often comes in the form of a mission statement that helps your company chart its course and deal with the ebbs and flows of an ever-changing business climate.
A mission statement may have the look and feel of something in-between a catch-phrase slogan and a long-winded executive summary but it should say what your company stands for, what it hopes to achieve and how it plans to achieve those goals. A good mission statement:
- Defines your company's reason for being. It clearly lays out what your business intends to do and how it will perform better than the competition.
- Serves as a "call to action" to get things done. It often elaborates on ways that critical tasks, from the initial launch phase to subsequent new offerings, will be executed.
- Provides strategic direction and shapes future goals. It not only says where you want to go, but how to get there.
Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done
Ask the hard questions
Coming up with a mission statement that encapsulates everything you want your company to be requires some self-reflection, and posing questions like "Who are we, who we serve and how do we stand out?"
I recommend: CCH,
The One Page Business Plan Company and
ZeroMillion.com provide questions your mission statement should try to answer.
Make it a team effort
Coming up with a mantra you want employees to live by shouldn't be created in isolation. Invite key employees and managers to brainstorming sessions and ask customers for feedback.
I recommend: Entrepreneur and
My Tutorials have ideas for getting more folks involved.
Use the Web for fine-tuning
Software and e-books available on the Internet can help you craft succinct and powerful mission statements.
I recommend: Bplans.com,
Mission Experts and
Nightingale-Conant have the tools to help you build a statement.Compare your statement to samples from other companies at the
Family Business Institute.
Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide
- Dedicate the time to getting this done. You're creating your identity, vision and the reason why you exist as a company. It's worth putting a fair amount of time into to getting the idea, the wording and the meaning right.
- Keep it brief. Although mission statements may be challenging to put together, the best ones are usually only a few sentences long.
The official source of Writing a Business Mission Statement is
the Mission Statement Development page at Business.com
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