“We’re in business to save our home planet.”
“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.’
These are the mission statements of Patagonia, Nike, Google, and Starbucks. By using simple, easy-to-understand language to highlight their core purpose and values, they aim to inspire and resonate with their audience.
A mission statement helps align employees, customers, and stakeholders around a common goal. Developing and leveraging an effective mission statement can also set a business apart from its competitors and promote its brand reliability.
Key Objectives of a Mission Statement
Employee Engagement
A well-crafted mission statement can motivate employees by showing them how their work contributes to a larger, meaningful purpose, improving job satisfaction and commitment to the company.
Decision-making Clarity
By outlining the organization’s core values and goals, a mission statement provides a framework for making decisions that align with the company’s overall vision.
Customer Understanding
A clear mission statement helps customers understand what the company stands for, its values, and how it aims to serve them, building trust and loyalty.
Stakeholder Alignment
It provides a common reference point for investors, partners, and other stakeholders to understand the organization’s direction and priorities.
Company Culture Building
A mission statement can serve as a foundation for a positive company culture by communicating the organization’s values and behaviors that are expected from employees.
Strategic Planning
A well-defined mission statement is a crucial starting point for developing strategic plans and setting measurable goals to achieve the company’s vision.
Essentially, a mission statement acts as a roadmap for decision-making and strategy development across all levels of the organization.
Mission Statements and Company Values
It’s easy to confuse mission statements and company values, since both play crucial roles in defining a company’s identity. Here’s a breakdown of their distinct purposes:
Mission Statement
Focus
- Describes the company’s current purpose and what it does.
- Answers the question: “What do we do, and who do we serve?”
- It’s about the “what” and the “who” of the business.
Timeframe
- Tends to be focused on the present.
- It outlines the company’s current activities and objectives.
Action-Oriented
- Explains how the company creates value.
Company Values
Focus
- Defines the ethical principles and beliefs that guide the company’s behavior.
- Answers the question: “How do we do it?”
- It’s about the “how” of the business.
Timeframe
- Are intended to be enduring and timeless.
- They represent the core beliefs that the company will uphold over the long term.
Behavior-Oriented
- Dictates how employees interact with each other, customers, and stakeholders.
- They are the guiding principles that shape the company culture.
In short, the mission statement outlines the company’s purpose, while the company values define the principles that guide its actions.
How Long Should a Mission Statement Be?
When it comes to the length of a mission statement on your company website, the key is to be concise and impactful. Many experts recommend keeping it to one to three sentences, or roughly under 100 words. A shorter statement is more likely to be remembered.
It should answer the questions of:
- What does your company do?
- Who does your company serve?
- Why does your company do it?
Think of your mission statement as a branding tool – sum up the purpose of your company in a few memorable sentences or less. It should be direct, purposeful content that acts as a sort of subheading for your company.
Choose Emphasis.LA
You make a positive difference. What you do enhances the value of the community. Bring out the pride and the professional level of service you offer in your company’s mission statement.
If you’re ready to elevate your brand’s voice and drive tangible results, don’t hesitate. Contact Emphasis.LA today and let us help you define and align your business messaging to set you apart. Let’s transform your ideas into impactful narratives that resonate and convert.
SOURCES
https://www.score.org/resource/blog-post/how-create-a-mission-statement-and-why-startups-need-one
https://business.adobe.com/blog/basics/mission-statement
https://bradsugars.com/company-vision-vs-mission-statement/
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2021/07/02/how-to-write-a-business-mission-statement
https://www.phoenix.edu/blog/mission-vision-values-statements.html
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/management/mission-statement
https://www.tability.io/odt/articles/vision-statement-and-a-mission-statement-whats-the-difference
https://onstrategyhq.com/resources/mission-statement-examples/