Six Tips on How to Start Writing Your Best Mission Statement Ever

By Joe Jellema

Blogger and Senior Editor at Compel Consultants

  Values are shared with your Goals, Mission & Vision Statements - Infographic from Wordstream.com

Who Are You? I Really Wanna Know

Reviewing how your Mission, Vision, Values and Goals relate is powerful. But let's first look into the fundamentals of why you exist, as a business.

To start you'll need a good understanding of your values and what your business is about, who it serves and what it seeks to do. Let's review:

A Mission Statement is a declaration that outlines THE REASON an organization exists right now. It states what business DOES, for whom and HOW it functions to achieve the common goals everyone in the organization is working toward.

Below is a frame work that might help. You may first wish to brainstorm some action words. For more examples and help with this, see my post on Mission vs Vision Statements and then come back here to create or refine your first Mission Statement.

Six Steps When Crafting Your Mission Statement

1. Define the reason for WHY you exist

   
   

2. Focus on your customer's needs

   
   

3. Focus on your culture and WHAT makes you unique?

   
   

4. Think beyond your existing product or market

   
   

5. Cut out the fat

   
   

6. Ask for help - Contact Compel Consultants today

   We are here for you!

   
   

Getting started is easy! Just huddle up and start talking about what makes you great! - WIX Photo

Grab a pencil and paper and start jotting down ideas and remember it takes time to really focus what you are all about. If you find yourself coming up with ideas about where you are headed, write them down too, and put these aside to use later for your Vision Statement.

Often a good Mission Statement starts or has elements in it from the Vision Statement, so if you feel inspired, write your Vision first.

These tips will get you started. If you need help, reach out to us and we can provide some easy solutions so that you and your team can deliver your best.

Writing Mission Statement - Additional Ideas

  Get creative and break out the colored markers! Make a mess! It's part of the process! - WIX Photo

Break out the colored markers and encourage call outs and participation from everyone and write them on the white board. If you have a large number of participants, create smaller teams in "pods" and give them some paper and pens, and maybe even give them some candy in the middle of their desks so they are encouraged to collaborate.

This is a time to have a little fun and be creative and brainstorm as a group, so there are no wrong ideas. Encourage the joy of thinking about what our day means. Is having coffee part of your day? Is having meetings to have meetings what we are about? What is the best part of what we are doing - right now? Write it down!

Being honest and transparent might be a part of your values, so encourage this as you refine some key words that you feel comfortable making public.

Think about words that everyone can agree upon and "plug and chug" them into a framework of Who, What, Where, Why and most importantly How. Remember, we are just trying to frame a Mission Statement, so it's okay if we come up with a draft version. It's the process that helps, not just the result.

Tweak your ideas a little bit and widen your scope while you get rid of super specific declarations (Such as Kodak is a film company, Coke is soda company, or Blockbuster provides the latest hit videos on tape). If your business just makes buttons, it's okay to say "we make buttons", but understand how that might restrict you later if you want to start reselling patches.

Trim out the fat and ask yourself, does it still communicate more than the prior version, by saying less? That's the entire goal here.

Great Job! Now that you are done crafting your very best Mission Statement...

Compare the team’s "learning version" with your company's actual version to see how close you got.

This process will help everyone understand the companies purpose, values and goals, and how they interrelate - and - because your team helped duplicate the Mission Statement creative process, they will feel a stronger connection to it.

Works Cited:

Academic acceptable use, some content borrowed from:

https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2021/07/02/how-to-write-a-business-mission-statement

Be sure to read my other related pages on:

• Mission vs Vision Statements, Common Pitfalls, Ideas and 6 Examples to Get You Started on Writing Your Own

• Why I Like Starbucks Value Statement and Why Your Company Should Have One This Good Too

  
  

and my newest:

• Five Simple Ways to Make Your Video Calls and Meetings More Effective

Written by:

Joe Jellema

Blogger and Senior Editor at Compel Consultants

When I'm not enjoying way too much coffee at work you might catch me rollerskating the beach path in Long Beach, CA

We are driven to help you achieve your best.

With over 20 years combined experience, our

consultants provide tailored support around

your ever changing needs.

From small refinements that prove big results

to creating customized culture building workshops that enhance productivity, we take the work off you so you can get back to work.

We are change champions! Change is a’ coming. Contact Compel Consultants today so we can help you be the change your need.. We call that success!