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How to Write a Mission Statement (2 Articles)

July 1, 2009 – 5:24 pm

By Janel M. Radtke

Every organization has a mission, a purpose, a reason for being.  Often the mission is why the organization was first created — to meet a need identified years ago.  Sometimes, the same problems that the organization initially tried to address continue to haunt generation after generation.  In that case, the organization’s purpose doesn’t change — although how it does business has probably evolved.  Other times, even 10 or 20 years can change the landscape so markedly that the original mission must be updated, altered, or changed dramatically in order to address those new realities.

That your organization’s mission is current, alive, and well, however, doesn’t necessarily mean that the organization has translated that purpose into a clear, concise mission statement.  A good mission statement should accurately explain why your organization exists and what it hopes to achieve in the future.  It articulates the organization’s essential nature, its values, and its work.

This should be accomplished in a brief paragraph that is free of jargon and “terms of art.”   In other words, it should avoid the kind of shorthand that you may be in the habit of swapping with others who work in the field, but is unfamiliar to anyone who is outside the organization or the field in which it works.

Another important consideration is how recently your mission statement was reviewed by board or staff members.  If it has been more than five years, now is probably a good time to review and, if necessary, fine-tune or even rewrite your mission statement.  All too often an organization’s mission statement, which has been handed down over the years, loses relevance and ceases to speak to staff, board members, or supporters.

An effective mission statement must resonate with the people working in and for the organization, as well as with the different constituencies that the organization hopes to affect.  It must express the organization’s purpose in a way that inspires commitment, innovation, and courage — not an easy task!

At the very least, your organization’s mission statement should answer three key questions:

1. What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address? (the purpose of the organization)

2. What are we doing to address these needs? (the business of the organization)

3. What principles or beliefs guide our work? (the values of the organization)

You can begin the process of drafting a mission statement by creating a worksheet based on these questions   Ask staff, volunteers, and constituents to list any words, phrases, or ideas that come to mind with respect to the organization and these various categories.  Do not edit at this point.  Give everyone a chance to be heard.  Look for language and concepts that enjoy broad consensus.

Here are three mission statements that do attempt to answer these questions.  Let’s see what they have in common.

1.  The mission of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America is to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth, primarily through a professionally-supported, one-to-one relationship with a caring adult, and to assist them in achieving their highest potential as they grow to become confident, competent, and caring individuals, by providing committed volunteers, national leadership and standards of excellence.
The purpose:  to make a positive difference in the lives of children and youth so that they’ll achieve their highest potential

The business:  providing and supporting committed volunteers who have one-to-one relationships with children and youth

The values:  individuals who are confident, competent, and caring; leadership and standards of excellence

2.  The National Conference, founded in 1927 as the National Conference of Christians and Jews, is a human relations organization dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry, and racism in America.  The National Conference promotes understanding and respect among all races, religions and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education.
The purpose:  to fight bias, bigotry, and racism in America

The business:  advocacy, conflict resolution, and education

The values:  understanding and respect among all races, religions, and cultures

3.  Planet 3000 is committed to healing the earth.  Using research into natural ecosystems, Planet 3000 develops policy recommendations and pilot projects that apply these underlying principles to human ecosystems that are in harmony with other life on the planet.  By bringing the human social order into balance with ecological principles, diversity of all living things can be sustained and the evolutionary process that has guided and nurtured life on this planet for millions of years can continue unabated.
The purpose:  to “heal” the planet

The business:  advocacy, research, and demonstration projects

The values:  ecological principles; protecting balance, diversity, the evolutionary process, and harmony with life on the planet
Your Mission Statement Should . . .
express your organization’s purpose in a way that inspires support and ongoing commitment

motivate those who are connected to the organization

be articulated in a way that is convincing and easy to grasp

use proactive verbs to describe what you do

be free of jargon

be short enough so that anyone connected to the organization can readily repeat it

How to Write a  Mission Statement
http://www.tgci.com/magazine/98fall/mission.asp

Excerpted from Strategic Communications for Nonprofit Organizations: Seven Steps to Creating a Successful Plan,  Copyright © 1998, Janel M. Radtke.  Reprinted by permission of the publisher, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.  To order a copy of this work, call 1-800-225-5945.

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How-To Create A Mission Statement

Mission statement. Every company needs one. Many companies, both new and existing, sometimes struggle to write a mission statement. A mission statement can be a very strong motivational statement for staff and employees and can also be a strong marketing and branding tool to customers. Some excellent examples of mission statements that hit the mark immediately are:

Disney – “To make people happy”

Would anybody argue that Disney accomplishes this? Do you think it sets the tone and environment for its employees? Do you think that customers agree? I think the answers to all these questions would be a resounding yes!

Boeing – “To push the leading edge of aviation, taking huge challenges doing what others cannot do”

Finland nearly banned Donald Duck cartoons because the Disney character doesn’t wear pants.

If anyone has seen the documentary or read the story of the Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet, would they doubt this mission statement? Do you think that Boeing’s employees or customers doubt this statement? I don’t think so.

3M – “To solve unsolved problems innovatively”

How many of you use Post-It Notes? Do you know how they were invented? NASA was looking for a product that would stick to surfaces indefinitely and still be easy to peel off. One 3M engineer spent quite a bit of time getting 3M to market this product commercially. Do you think his motivation was partly driven by this mission statement?

A company’s mission statement can be something that is totally ignored by both its employees and its customers, or it can be something that drives the organization, attracts customers, and brands its products.

Companies that have created dynamic, thought-provoking, on-the-mark mission statements got everyone involved in the process, from the lowest ranking employee to the highest ranking executive, while at the same time keeping in mind the needs of all their customers, even the least important. They brainstormed, reviewed and rewrote their mission statement until everyone was satisfied. The employees and management agreed that the mission statement correctly identified what they hoped to accomplish, and the customers agreed that the mission statement defined what they wanted and needed.

What Is A Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a written, easy-to-remember sentence, short list of bullet points, or paragraph illustrating a business’ goals and purpose. It has one common function: to guide you and your employees in making critical decisions that effect the direction of your  company.

A mission statement identifies your company to its customers, vendors, the media and others that will be using or requiring its services or products. It is about providing solutions and adding value to your customers and market.

Where Should You Keep It?

Certainly not buried in some remote document that you bring out at Christmas time or some other

The final credits for Fantasia list the sorcerer’s name as “Yensid” - Disney spelled backwards.

event. Keep your mission statement in front of you, your management team and employees, and your customers. Include your mission statement in the executive summary of your business plan. Place it in large bold print in the front of your employee manual. Include it in as many advertisements, promotional materials, and other public documents as possible. Never lose sight of why you started your business and never compromise your ethics and values.

Creating A Mission Statement

First of all, as we mentioned earlier, you should get everyone involved in a productive manner and do the following:

1. Pick One Central Theme. The theme should be easy to understand, non-controversial, and translate into behavior that can gain support. Take Disney, mentioned earlier, for example. They wanted people to have fun. They wanted their employees to have fun. They wanted people to be able to escape, for just a moment, the grind and stresses of their day-to-day environment.

Dwarf names that didn’t make the cut: Scrappy, Doleful, Crabby, Wistful, Dumpy, Soulful, Tearful, Snappy, Helpful, Gaspy, Gloomy, Busy, Dirty, Awful, Dizzy, Shifty, and Biggy-Wiggy.

So what is your theme? Does it deal with a product, service or both? Can it be easily understood and interpreted by both your employees and customers? In some cases, it may have to be mildly controversial to provoke thought and discussion.

2. Communicate With Action. Demonstrate your commitment and follow through with conviction. Participate in the committees and work groups and help them build the excitement and determination to succeed.

3. Focus On A Few Key Attributes Of Your Service Or Product. Take the example of Boeing, mentioned earlier. Do you want to push the leading edge of your technology? Do you want to accept challenges that others won’t or can’t? Do you want to solve problems that are difficult and challenging to solve? Does this key attribute bring value to your customers?

4. Don’t Rush The Process. Brainstorming and creativity take time. Be sensitive to the process as well as the end result. Participants want to see results of feedback. You and your employee’s time are too valuable to just go through an exercise in frustration. I have been part of organizations that just wanted a rubber stamp on the result and didn’t give a hoot about the process. This is a very unique opportunity to build commitment, trust and morale in your organization. Don’t blow it by trying to rush the process!

Key Points To Include

This might be your most difficult decision. If you’re writing a one-sentence or one-paragraph mission statement, your job will more likely be more complicated, not less. A bulleted mission statement is easier, but may not accomplish what you want. Key statements that can be used to build a mission statement are:
•     Statement of Purpose. What inspirational purpose appeals to higher values in both your employees and customers?

Walt Disney originally had different names in mind for Mickey Mouse and Goofy: Mortimer and Dippy Dawg, respectively.

•     Statement of Strategy. What is your business strategy, and how does it appeal to your employees and customers?

•     Statement of Value. Identify values that form a link to the organization’s strategy that employees can be proud of.

•     Statement of Behavioral Standards. How does employee behavior relate to customer perception and value?

•     Statement of Character. What is the organizational culture?

Certainly it is impossible to include all of these in a short mission statement, such as Disney’s, but the perception of their mission statement certainly encompasses the ideas. If you do a bulleted mission statement, the above statements are easier to address individually. It’s up to you!

See also:  How-To Write a Business Plan

Allen Jaszcar is President of The Information Source, a business plan, consulting, and research service located in Southern California. An experienced Manager and Research Analyst, Allen holds a B.A. in Business Administration/Marketing and an M.S. in Health Services Administration from California State University, San Bernardino. He is also a Core Technology Lecturer in the School of Business and Technology at National University in Southern California focusing on E-commerce, Information Technology Management and Networking.