As you enter an office, you are usually greeted by two things – the receptionist and a big text hanging on the wall of the premise. This piece of text that welcomes you is commonly known as the mission statement of the company. You can also see such statements in large fonts with popping colors on pamphlets, websites, brochures, and other reading materials. Almost all of the companies orchestrate their own mission statement to briefly inform you about what a company does and its purpose on why they do what they do. Not only businesses have this, even leaders and organizations compose their mission statement too. But why do organizations need it? Scroll down to dig in a little deeper of the purpose of mission statement and why is it important.
What is a mission statement and why is it important?
A mission statement is a phrase that aims to describe what an organization does and why it exists. It explains what is the purpose of a company, to whom the purpose is addressed to and why they do the intention of the company. The mission statement of a company reflects the reason being that makes it stand out among the rest and the bright future ahead that awaits the company and its target audience. It is a way of announcing to the world the process of what unifies you as an organization and how you are fulfilling it. It is a tool that guides you how the company pursuits its vision and the goals that they plan to achieve.
The mission statement is not only there because it is part of the organization’s guidelines and structure. It plays a significant role to play. The message is intended to be conveyed towards the whole composition of the organization specifically its employees and the target audience of the company. Having a mission statement has a more meaningful objective rather than just being a plain descriptive phrase. It must be well crafted and has to be aligned with the values and goals of the company. It reflects the way on how you want your business to operate and how your employees should function. Well written and administered mission statement should be immediately and clearly implemented within your organization’s premises as early as possible. This also serves as a motivation and guide to your employees for them to perform and move forward according to your mission statement. Furthermore, it generates the image or idea of what your audience should expect from you as a business. Your mission statement is meant to be manifested by you and your very own employees so that your whole group can live up to it and effectively implement it towards your partners, customers, and potential clients.
Examples of mission statements
Before we head on in making a mission statement and to ensure that you thoroughly understand its meaning and purpose, I gathered some of the famous mission statements different big and well-known international companies. Try to guess what companies are these phrases are pertaining to.
1. “To make it easy to do business anywhere.” – This kind of mission statement is simple but direct to the point. It tells you that this company’s mission to alleviate the problems of business transactions and make shopping such a breeze you can do it anywhere regardless of your location or limited payment scheme. I’ll give you a clue about the answer. It is an international business to business and business to customer ecommerce platform.
2. “To organize the world’s information and make it accessible and useful” – This one talks about collecting and providing data that can be accessed anytime and is intended to be shared to everyone. Again, it is a simplified mission statement but very well aligned of what this company does. A hint about the right answer is that this is a multibillion dollar search engine that diversified its business into different online platforms.
3. “Improving people’s lives through meaningful innovation.” – A powerful one liner kind of mission statement that aims to enhance people’s way of living through revolutionary changes. This statement is straight as an arrow because it overall covers the company’s main core business. A clue about its answer is it is a company that well known for the home appliances and electronic gadget accessories.
4. “To refresh the world, inspire moments of optimism and happiness, to create value and make a difference” – What makes this company effective and strong is that even if it has been operating for more than 100 years, up to this day, their marketing efforts and press release are aligned with their mission. The key words towards the right answer is “refresh” and “happiness”.
5. “We save people money so they can live better” – This mission statement talks about how the company values living with quality through saving people from spending so much. True enough, their mission mirrors the way this company operates across the United States of America. A clue to its answer is this a famous discount shopping store.
Answers: 1. Alibaba 2. Google 3. Philips 4. Coca Cola 5. Walmart
How to develop a mission statement?
Now that you have seen examples of famous mission statements and how aligned it is to its way of operating, here’s a quick guide on how you can compose your own mission statement that you can tailor fit to your purpose, business values and will resonate to your audience.
1. Determine and describe what your company does – list down and narrate in detail what your business is about and what it does. You do not need to write it down beautifully yet. You save that for the latter part. What is important is that you are able to identify the purpose of your business while keeping it concise and direct. Below are some examples:
· Distribute precious jewelries.
· Sell limited edition shoes.
· Offer day spa services.
2. Determine and describe how you do your objectives – Again, you do not need write in the full details of how you physically operate your business. The key point here is to identify how or in what manner do your company function to achieve your objectives. You may want to integrate your organization’s fundamental beliefs or its guiding principles to make a more resonating impression. Check some examples below:
· Provide quality and affordable cleaning services.
· Stop animal testing used for makeup products.
· Preservation of natural resources.
3. Determine who is the receiver of your mission – As mentioned above, part of your mission statement is to ensure that you address your target audience and of course the people working for you in the company. It is significant to pinpoint who do you intend to serve so be specific in identifying the receiver of your message as this helps you also to better penetrate your preferred market. See these examples below:
· Public consumers
· Smart phone users
· Single parents
4. Enumerate your outstanding key points - You must also know the factors that make you outstand from the rest. What attributes do you and your company have that you can amplify to achieve your business goals. As the leader of the pack, you are a great influence towards the people around you hence, you need to know what kind of image you want your company to be remembered by the people. Check out some of the examples below:
· Worldwide banking connections
· Advanced information technology system
· Burning passion for life longevity
5. Incorporate your personal mission – Identify what lead you to tackle this kind of business. There must be a strong reason why you opted to take on this path. Write down what makes this business special to you. Determine what makes this venture important that it encouraged you to put an action towards your desire. Your personal values and beliefs strongly affect how your business generally operates.
6. Combine and refine – Now that you have written down all the information needed for you to develop a powerful mission statement all you have to do is combine these statements. I highly discourage you to put lengthy phrases to compose your mission statement. Continuously reconstruct your sentences to narrow it down to the most meaningful text. Do not be afraid to redo everything several times because your company should be able to express your mission statement clearly. You will use this for a long period of time so it is best to make it remarkable and momentous. Remember to keep it concise and aligned with what you do, how you do it, and to whom it is addressed.
Composing your mission statement can be somehow difficult if you do not know your purpose. The steps above will guide you how you can determine the factors and information needed so you can properly develop a mission statement that perfectly fits your whole business organization. Yes, you can change your mission from time to time because there will be circumstances and opportunities that will come that can affect the core of your business. However, the most important thing to remember is keep your mission statement aligned with your business goals, values, and personal beliefs.