How to Write a Killer Mission Statement for Your Company A well-written list of goals can be your North Star when it comes to guiding you, your employees, and customers, towards success.
By Dr. Steven Ghim Edited by Bill Schulz
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Making a mission statement allows you to arrange your organization without ambiguity. The best time to craft this kind of missive is as soon as you know what your business is about and what you want to do.
Haven't already? It's never too late!
Related: The 3 Questions That Will Help You Define Your Brand Identity
The two biggest advantages of a call-to-arms
If you craft a clear mission statement, your business will experience a pair of major plusses.
1. Staff alignment
You've probably heard horror stories about companies that took forever to launch products, or services, because their team had a million and one different ideas about the business and how to achieve its goals.
When you develop a clear list of how you're gonna do what and when? You provide a touchstone for your team. They see exactly where you're going, what they need to pursue and how they contribute to the big picture. It's a simple way to minimize conflicts while keeping efficiency and productivity high.
But aligning isn't just important with people already on your payroll. When a candidate interviews, they may have their own concept of what to do. If you review the mission statement with them, you'll both have a better idea of whether they're a good fit for your team.
With clearly stated intent, workers will want to collaborate more effectively.
2. Staying on course
Trust is built at least partially on consistency, both in how your team behaves and what they offer. A mission statement helps ensure that you consistently deliver.
Imagine you've got a cupcake shop built on a vegan or low-calorie angle. Your mission statement is to provide happiness without all the sugar. (Corny? For sure. Accurate? Yes.) But then people start suggesting that you add a little extra sugar here or there. You know you'd make something tasty, but you're also aware that doing what they encourage would go against your original goal.
A mission statement keeps you from getting lost in the weeds. That ensures that you maintain your differentiator value, which is the thing that sets you apart. At McDonald's, for instance, they haven't tried to introduce pizza, spaghetti, etc. They stuck with what they know and stayed true to that original vision. That's why they're one of the most well-known fast-food brands of all time.
Building bullet points
Crafting a call to arms doesn't have to keep you up at night. If you really believe in that why, then your belief can become magnetic, attracting people and converting them to your mission. Money will follow as a natural consequence.
Once you have developed said statement, put it where the public can see it so as to be held accountable. Consider framing it as a poster on the wall of your company break room, where it can remind employees that they aren't there by accident and have a shared purpose.
Related: How to Create a Personal Vision That Lets You Lead Fearlessly and Drive Success
If you want them to buy, tell them your why
As Simon Sinek revealed in his 2010 Ted talk on inspiring action, people don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it. The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.
Understand what your business is here to do and let that be your compass. The sooner you nail down exactly why your company exists, and the purpose you fulfill, the sooner you can find your people, turn them into long-term followers and enjoy stability even in the most uncertain of markets.
Related: How to Develop Viable Corporate Values That Will Inspire Employees
