How to Write an Effective Mission Statement in 3 Steps

A company’s mission statement—also known as a vision statement—is an expression of its core values and its purpose.

• A mission statement is a short, concise one or two sentence phrase that sets forward what a company does, how it does it, and why.
• It can also include information on where a company is based and its target market or audience. It may also include a general statement about a company’s goals.
• A mission statement reflects a company’s values, philosophy, and competitive advantages.

The best mission statements are potent messages for your various audiences, a valuable branding tool that can help inspire your customers, employees, partners, investors, and other stakeholders.

• A good mission statement helps you differentiate yourself in the marketplace and to attract and retain loyal, dedicated employees.
• A good mission statement also gets the whole team on the same page, brings your team together, provides an overarching framework of common values to guide your employees, and shows them where your company is going.

Great mission statements are short and to the point. If it doesn’t fit on a coffee mug or a T-shirt, it’s too long to be useful.

To write an effective mission statement, you need to answer several key questions before you write your mission statement:

1. 1. What is our business? The answer should encapsulate your company’s core operations.
2. 2. How are we doing it? The answer should be a values-based description of how you operate and what you’re hoping to achieve.
3. 3. For whom are we doing it? The answer describes your core customer base.
4. 4. What are our core values? The answer is the “why” of your company's existence.

Starbucks’ mission statement is a good example of an effective mission statement that answers the above questions. The Starbucks mission statement is:

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

1. 1. What our business is: “One cup,” i.e., Starbucks is a retailer of coffee.
2. 2. How we are doing it: Starbucks prioritizes every customer and their community in everything it does.
3. 3. Whom we serve: You and your community.
4. 4. What our core values are: To inspire and nurture the human spirit.

Starbucks’ mission statement emphasizes a concern for the well-being of team members, customers, and the community.

Crafting an effective mission statement comes down to asking—and answering—a number of important questions. Ask yourself:

1. 1. What is your company’s mission? What is its core purpose? Its reason for being? In what ways can the culture be a reflection of these pursuits?
2. 2. What stories from your life will inform your approach to establishing an organization’s culture? Journal about personal experiences you might draw from in crafting the values and culture of a company.
3. 3. What are three creative and effective ways you can make a deposit into the “cultural reservoir” of your company? Think about things like: creating learning opportunities for employees, such as guest speakers and author visits; offering in-office meditation and wellness instruction; holding regular all-employee meetings in which people are invited to ask leaders questions and speak freely about the company. All of these things create a culture of trust and transparency.

Your company’s mission statement does little good if you write it and file it away—share it.

• Make sure you your mission statement with your customers, your employees, your partners, investors, and the public at every opportunity.
• Put your mission statement on your website, written materials, marketing documents, and internal communications, especially any new hire training documentation.

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