how a mission statement works
mission statements serve a dual purpose by helping employees remain focused on the tasks at hand and encouraging them to find innovative ways of moving toward increasing their productivity with the eye to achieving company goals a company s mission statement defines its culture values ethics fundamental goals and agenda furthermore it defines how each of these applies to the company s stakeholders its employees distributors suppliers shareholders and the community at large these entities can use this statement to align their goals with that of the company the statement reveals what the company does how it does it and why it does it prospective investors may also refer to the mission statement to see if the values of the company align with theirs for example an ethical investor against tobacco products would probably not invest in a company whose mission is to be the largest global manufacturer of cigarettes it is not uncommon for large companies to spend many years and millions of dollars to develop and refine their mission statements in some cases mission statements eventually become household phrases mission statements aren t just for small or large companies many successful individuals professionals and investors have taken the time to craft a personal mission statement these personal mission statements often incorporate the financial professional spiritual and relational aspects of life this in turn helps an individual maintain a healthy work life balance that increases their personal achievement in all of these areas drafting a mission statementwhile it may be difficult to narrow down the focus of your company in a single statement here are some tips to help you write a good mission statement after you ve drafted it remember to look it over edit it and have someone else give it a once over after you ve approved it you ll need to find a way to incorporate it wherever you can in addition be mindful to periodically review your mission statement although it s never ideal to constantly pivot your image and change your mission statement your company may outgrow or shift directions resulting in the need of a new statement a company s mission is its identity and its vision is its journey to accomplishing its mission a company should take as long as it needs to craft the right statement to describe its mission displaying a mission statementonce a mission statement is crafted it s up to the company to make it publicly known a mission statement only holds value if it is shared with existing and potential customers vendors donors or employees because a company s mission statement is often pretty short it is easy to incorporate into marketing material a mission statement should always be found somewhere on a company s website in addition it can also be used in marketing documents a company may solicit employees to incorporate adding its mission statement as part of a company wide standard e mail signature block a mission statement is also a perfect elevator pitch sentence that key members of your company should know because it s so brief it is easy to memorize in addition it s a perfect introduction for someone who has never heard of your company or wants to know more whether it s at a networking event social gathering or bus ride to work a mission statement is an easy way to captivate a stranger s interest in your company should they ask what your company does advantages and disadvantages of mission statementscompanies can benefit from having a mission statement first it outlines a company s goals and position in the industry for its customers competitors and other stakeholders it also helps the organization focus and stay on track to make the right decisions about its future furthermore the mission statement helps clarify a company s purpose with a mission statement a company s customers and investors can rest assured that the company is fully committed to achieving its goals and maintaining its values it is also useful to guide and motivate employees keeping them in line with the company s values last a mission statement adds validity to an organization from the outside looking in a mission statement demonstrates that a company has considered the big picture and the major goals it wants to accomplish it demonstrates thoughtful leadership reputability and inspiration to potential investors employees or donors there are drawbacks to having a mission statement mission statements may sometimes be very lofty and far too unrealistic which can distract employees from the company s goals management may become too distracted with high level targets that shorter term necessary steps to get there become neglected even though a mission statement is short and concise it may take a lot of time and money to develop the resources spent on a bad mission statement could be better spent elsewhere creating an opportunity loss the difficulty of crafting such a concise statement is many parties often have ideas and there s not room for many of them after the bulk of the work has been done companies may struggle with wordsmithing or simply rearranging words instead of trying to generate value last by publicly announcing to the world the company s mission some people on the outside or even the inside may disagree with the mission in the examples below some individuals may be skeptical of alternative sources of energy and may be scared away when learning of tesla s mission statement a mission statement doesn t give much opportunity for a rebuttal to clarify or further explain what a company is all about a mission statement is not required though it may be a grant application for a nonprofit or asked for by an interested investor of a company mission statement examplesmission statements vary considerably from company to company the following examples are the mission statements of some of the world s largest companies mission statements vs other statementsa mission statement is often confused or grouped with other types of organizational statements here are some other types of content and how they vary from a mission statement a company s mission statement differs from its vision statement while the mission statement remains unchanged for the most part and represents who the company is or aspires to be for the entirety of its existence the vision statement can change the latter outlines what the company needs to do to remain the way it has presented itself to be in effect a company s mission is its identity and the vision is its journey to accomplishing its mission a company s value statement is also centered around a company s core principles and philosophy however it is more direct in guiding how decisions will be made and what will impact the daily culture of the organization a value statement often includes actionable direction such as taking ownership acting ethically doing what is right or being transparent whereas a mission statement describes the highest level of purpose a vision statement starts to describe how that purpose will be achieved a company s goals or business plan may be publicly disclosed or kept private internal in general a company s goals are often even more specific potentially referring to specific business lines growth percentages geographical regions or new initiatives while a mission statement often does not mention a specific aspect of the business company goals are often measurable relating to departments or products so a company can track progress a company s mission statement should drive the goals that are set a brand is an suite of elements that encompasses a company s identity this includes its marketing materials engagement in community events reviews from current and former employees and its logo presence a company s brand is also shaped by its mission statement though a small component a mission statement helps customers employees and investors form an opinion of a company a slogan is a very brief often memorable phrase that people primarily outside of your company can remember utter a great slogan such as just do it can invoke memories commercials logos brand ambassadors and emotions through a successful ad campaign although a mission statement is brief it is longer and relatively more detailed compared to a slogan a mission statement isn t meant to necessarily be catchy it s meant to be informative and useful for guiding high level decisions alternatively a slogan is a very pointed marketing phrase used to be memorable even if it is less informative 