How to Write a Company Mission Statement
In about a paragraph or less, a mission statement describes what a company does. Some mission statements contain one short sentence, such as "Profitable growth through superior customer service." Unlike long-term vision statements, mission statements describe the current reality in terms of a company's main products and services, key success factors and core values. Write the mission statement in consultation with your key stakeholders.
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Instructions
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Organize a group to generate ideas about the mission statement. In addition to senior management, invite representatives from the various operating units, such as public relations and marketing. Budget permitting, ask external public relations consultants to help you with the wording. If you are a small business owner, get all your employees and even friends and family involved.
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Brainstorm ideas. Pose a series of questions to the group that will define your purpose, what sets your products and services apart from the competition, who your customers are, and the image you want to convey to the outside world. Do not include the names of other companies or products in your mission statement. For example, instead of saying, "We want to offer better widgets than ABC Company," say, "We want to be the leading manufacturer of widgets in the United States."
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Ask the group members to write down short sentences or phrases describing each aspect of their business or their perceptions of the company. You can use sticky notes or a word processing program. Group these notes by functional and product categories, such as human resources, quality control and manufacturing. Select the common themes from each of these categories to create the mission statement.
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Write the mission statement using simple words and short sentences. A mission statement can be one or two sentences. For example, "We want to provide customers the best sushi eating experience in America"; or for a technology company, "We design optical devices that connect businesses, transfer data and enable communications at the speed of light. Our goal is to provide the best customer service and value to our customers." Stay away from jargon and abbreviations.
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Publicize your mission statement, as it is as much a marketing document as it is an internal planning document. Include the statement in your corporate profile, or in the overview section of your website. Post it on your corporate Intranet and in the main entrance where employees can see it. Select one part of the mission statement for your letterhead, outgoing email and advertising copy.
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Review the mission statement every two to three years. If the fundamental nature of your business has changed, modify your mission statement.
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