Does Your Organization Have a Mission Statement?
What do you think of when you think of the idea of a mission statement? How important are they to you, and do you think that they have any impact on your business’s success?
Personally, I think that mission statements are a vital component of a successful brand, but I do see how they can sometimes get a bad rap for being a little too “simple” or too “marketing 101” to be of any real value to any serious business.
In my estimation, mission statements get this reputation because too few of us really understand what they’re for. And because we don’t understand what they’re for, we’re not able to harness their power and use them to drive our businesses forward.
What’s more, most mission statements, if we’re being brutally honest, aren’t that good. A great mission statement is difficult to achieve.
Here’s ours:
Our mission is to help you achieve your business goals by providing you with the digital marketing strategies you need, the personalized approach to service that you deserve, and a level of partnership that you’ve always wanted from your marketing team.
Do I think it’s good? Yes, I do. I think it’s successful in doing the job it’s supposed to do, but it still isn’t succinct enough. It could be better, and because it’s important to us, our team will continue to work on it until it’s great. Getting it right matters that much to us.
But why? Let’s get into it. Let’s explore why mission statements matter, who they’re for, and how we can use them to our advantage in business.
Why Do You Need A Mission Statement?
I believe that mission statements matter in organizations because they help keep you focused. They’re something that we can all point back to when we’re in a crisis, or when we’re trying to make an important decision that we know will have an impact on our future.
Mission statements are the ultimate, “What are we here for?” They go far deeper than, “We offer ____.” They are declarations of your purpose. Why does this business exist? What’s different about it? Why does this matter?
They are statements that go beyond the products or services or care that you offer, and instead they are focused on the results of what you do for people.
This is hard to articulate without a branding expert to support you. Mission statements will often get overwritten — where too many people are involved in the writing process trying to communicate too many ideas — or they’re underwritten, and end up being unclear in their intent.
Both of these scenarios point to precisely why you need a mission statement:
- Why are there so many competing ideas about what your mission is?
- Or, why is it so difficult to land on what your mission is?
Mission statements remove that mystery. And in the process of creating them, they spur real conversations between business leaders about the business’s purpose. I’ve seen it. I’ve experienced it. It is a clarifying exercise that will help focus your leadership and push you closer to your goals, much more so than you might realize.
But it doesn’t stop at the leadership level. It needs to happen throughout the entire organization.
How You Can Make The Most of Your Mission Statement
Mission statements aren’t just writing exercises — they’re meant to be used! They have the power to clarify your purpose at the leadership level, yes, but they also should be used to align every person in your organization behind them.
What are we trying to accomplish today? Who do we serve? How do we achieve this? It’s all in the mission statement. Everyone, no matter what their role is, contributes to the mission of the organization, but not everyone feels this.
If we’re talking about a practice in the medical world, for instance, sometimes we only see what the provider does when we think about the mission. While the provider’s work lies at the heart of the practice, how could they achieve their mission without the practice manager, or front and back office staff? It’s not possible.
Every role is essential, and when everyone performs at the top of their game, the mission can be accomplished.
This is why it’s critical that the mission is shared and shared often with your team. Print it in your handbook. Feature it on your website and other marketing materials. Revisit it at team meetings to ensure that everyone not only knows it, but understands it and understands how they play a part in it.
How You Can Get A Great (And Useful) Mission Statement
Of course, you can update your mission statement (or even create a new one!) all on your own by focusing on conveying the following components:
- What you do
- How you do it
- Who you do it for
- How you’re different
Keep your statement as brief as you can. Avoid multiple sentences. Certainly avoid paragraphs. The goal is to be clear, concise, and compelling.
You want people to be able to emotionally connect with this statement. You want your team to remember it, and to feel it so that they will carry it into their work. A great mission statement provides guidance in difficult situations.
And if you’re having difficulty crafting a mission statement that accurately reflects what your brand represents, then that’s where we’re committed to fulfilling our mission on your behalf.
We’ll provide you the strategies you need, the personalized service you deserve, and the level of partnership you’ve always wanted so that you can finally have a mission statement your entire team can rely on — one that catapults your business forward.
If you want to learn more about our consulting services or any of our other service offerings, then please contact us. Our goal is to help you achieve yours. Contact us today to experience what a growth agency like Formada can do for you!