Creating a Mission Statement
Reasons, Tips, Examples & Resources to Write Your Vision & Values
A well-crafted mission statement is a critical building block in every organization's infrastructure. Learn why, tips on how to, and see samples of mission statements.
Why formulate a mission statement?
The mission statement articulates the organization’s vision and values, which can be an effective leadership tool, public relations tool, and compass for decision-making.
Leaders can use the organization’s mission statement as the team motto. A mission can be a powerful tool to unite employees and enhance performance by having a common focus.
The organization’s public image can be greatly enhanced with a carefully crafted mission statement. Mountain Gap Middle School in Alabama has its mission statement prominently positioned on its home web page: “Our mission is to provide each student a safe, supportive environment and a challenging education that promotes responsibility and excellence in learning.”
Decision-making is less challenging with a mission statement as a compass. Refer to the mission statement when making a decision by asking the questions, “Is this in alignment with the mission? Does this option or decision reinforce the organization’s values? Will this decision result in progressing toward the overall vision?”
Tips on writing a concise mission statement:
The statement can be one sentence, one paragraph, or several pages in length. It is best not to have the statement too rigid or specific. As socio-economic environments change and internal operations evolve, the mission statement should be a flexible framework that helps your organization stay focused on the overall vision and the core values it is based on.
McDonald’s timeless mission is “to satisfy the world’s appetite for good food, well-served, at a price people can afford.”
Here are some quick tips:
- Include your organization’s strengths, values, and purpose.
- Use concise language that is free from ambiguity and jargon.
- Include core values like integrity, compassion, sincerity, etc.
- Explain why your organization exists. What do you provide? What are you trying to accomplish?
- Include any unique competitive advantages.
- State the organization’s overall strategy for determining long-term success.
- Reflect the level of excellence that you expect from partners and employees. Don’t just say that the organization will strive for excellence, say how you define excellence in relation to the core values and to the vision.
Examples of mission statements:
Two corporate examples include Google and Amazon.
Google's mission is “to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.” The word “universally” reflects a value, while “to organize” and “make accessible and useful,” reflect Google’s purpose.
Amazon.com's mission statement reads - "to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online." At first glance, “to find” and “discover” might seem redundant. However, the language is purposeful because Amazon.com is hoping people might discover something that they were not looking for in the first place, but catches their interest while browsing.
Two non-profit examples include Toastmasters International and the Jeremiah Program.
The mission of a Toastmasters club is “to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment in which every member has the opportunity to develop communication and leadership skills, which in turn foster self-confidence and personal growth.”
“The Jeremiah Program, a broad-based collaborative community initiative, assists low-income mothers and their children to help themselves complete their education and achieve economic self-sufficiency through empowerment skills, access to affordable housing, child development services, health care, support services and meaningful employment. The Jeremiah Program mothers and children develop positive self-esteem and clarify their values on which to build a successful life.”
For more examples, read Mission Statement Examples here.
A great resource for creating your own mission statement:
The Franklin Covey website has a mission statement builder that walks you through the process.
