Does Your Company Need a Mission Statement?
One of the most intriguing aspects of building a business is creating a mission statement to sum up the essence of the company. It is quite a creative challenge to take a look at the organization you have built, and to write a clear and concise mission statement about it. Yet it is an important description of your business, one you hope customers will remember.
If your company is 20 years old, or 10 years old, or over five years old, is your mission statement still relevant? During the past 10 or 20 years a great deal has changed in your industry, and no doubt your company has been affected by the developments. Isn’t it time to take another look at your mission statement to make sure it accurately reflects the meaning, purpose, and values of your business?
What to Consider
Here are four questions your mission statement should answer:
- What do we do?
- How do we do it?
- For whom do we do it?
- What value are we bringing?
If you consider the last question, “what value are we bringing?” it could be that 10 years ago the value your company delivered to customers was vastly different from the value that you bring today. Your company has made advances and new developments in its products that affect both product delivery and customer service. You should reflect that in your mission statement.
Look at the mission statements of some companies you admire, or whose products you use daily.
Google’s statement is: “Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.
“Our company has packed a lot into a relatively young life. Since Google was founded in 1998, we’ve grown to serve millions of people around the world.”
There you have it – a concise statement about one of the world’s great companies, the search engine you probably use daily.
Another company you may frequent is Whole Foods Market. Here is its mission statement:
“Our motto—Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet — emphasizes that our vision reaches beyond food retailing. In fact, our deepest purpose as an organization is helping support the health, well-being, and healing of both people — customers, Team Members, and business organizations in general — and the planet.
And our Core Values are not just words on a wall somewhere: they’re guiding principles that inform every decision we make—from the daily, face-to-face interactions with our customers to larger decisions that impact the way Whole Foods Market evolves and grows.
We encourage our Team Members to connect with our Core Values on a personal level, choosing the one(s) that are most meaningful to them and making them “come to life” in their work. It is empowerment in its truest sense, and we think it’s what can make working at Whole Foods Market such a unique and rewarding experience.”
Each of these companies has distinguished itself in the marketplace, and each mission statement reflects that and portrays what the company is bringing to the customer.
Take a look at the Walt Disney’s company’s mission statement:
“To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information, using its portfolio of brands to differentiate its content, services and consumer products.”
In Conclusion
When you write your mission statement, don’t be afraid to be aspirational as well as inspirational. In the next ten years, do you hope to be your region’s leading car parts manufacturer, software developer, or gourmet coffee distributor? Describe your dreams in your mission statement. Think imaginatively. Be expansive. Be generous. If you were a customer looking for an ideal a) new women’s clothing line or b) new shoe manufacturer or c) new sneaker line, would you look for creativity? Low cost? Style and color?
As you prepare your mission statement, remember the philosophy that states: Dream big, for as you dream so, you will become.
Ember Carriers mission statement is: “We want to reignite the fire in you and your organization so business leaders can inspire, lead and ultimately pass the torch to the next generation of ember carriers with an even bigger, brighter flame.” If we can help you light your creativity, contact us at (513) 984-9333 or email us at info@embercarriers.com.