What is your company’s ultimate goal? Do you aim to be a leader in customer service, high quality products or innovative strategies in the future? For sure, this is a mission statement that sounds nice but does this really mean something to you and your employees? A good mission statement is crucial in clarifying business intentions. In the past, the mission statements were an integration of optimism and realism. These are two terms that appear at odds with each another and striking a balance is the key. Here are five easy tips to help you create the right mission statement for your business.
Don’t forget the four most important elements.
Mission statements may have that optimistic aspect but also need to serve a purpose. The key elements that are usually found in mission statement include inspiration, plausibility, specificity and value. You should be able to integrate your firm’s value, why your product exist, encourage employees, be relevant and sound as plausible as possible. Choose a key theme for your organization and integrate all the four components in it.
Short but sweet.
This is a statement and not an essay so you better sum up all your ideas in 1 or 2 sentences. A mission statement should be thought of as slogan. The more concise it is; the better. Never complicate things. Simply state the purpose of your firm and your reason for venturing into it.
Long term versus short term.
Company mission statements may be wildly different from each other. The idea is to stick with either a short term or long term aspirations. You need to choose only one and specificity is the ultimate key for an influential mission statement. While the short term statements enable you to be more specific, it also needs to stay relevant and updated all the time.
Test your statement.
If you are revamping your mission statement, never blindside your workers with the new message. Give every employee a draft of your mission statement and ask them for suggestions and recommendations. This will not only help you formulate a good statement, but this will also make your employees more invested in the company.
Revisit it again and again.
Nothing is as constant as change. But many entrepreneurs forget the fact that they create the mission statement at the birth of the organization. A mission statement is supposed to be a reflection of your firm’s culture. Tweak your mission statement from time to time will ensure that it runs in the direction of your organization.