Mission Control: The Three Elements of a Powerful Mission Statement

by Ashley Preston

Knowing how to clearly articulate your company’s mission is critical when trying to connect with your audience - be it customers, potential employees, or investors. 

The mission statement is designed to describe a business’s purpose and help distinguish it from its competitors. It outlines places of potential growth and provides team members with common goals.

In his book, Business Made Simple, Donald Miller writes, "Teams that are not united around a compelling mission waste time, energy and money moving in random directions that do not serve the overall objective of the organization.” He continues, “A leader who can help a team define a mission and who can remind the team daily of what the mission is and why it matters is a valuable gift to the organization." 

There is an art to crafting the perfect statement that is easy for you and your team to adopt. Here are three techniques to help you develop the impactful language you need to make a statement to the world.

Explain Who You Are and Why You Exist

Make sure you can clearly say who you are, what it is you do, and how it helps the client or customer. Lay out what main services you offer and define who those services are meant to serve. Explain why your offerings are valuable. Why should someone want what it is you are offering? 

Make sure you are specific. It will make you more memorable and help you find the right customers and team members for your business. If you can clearly explain what you do and what someone can expect when using your services, you are more likely to end up with happier customers and satisfied employees.

Inspire Yourself and Others

All choices should be grounded in reality - but mission statements can be a powerful tool in inspiring those who hear them. It can serve as an encouragement to team members who are working with you to implement your solutions.

For instance, Patagonia says in its mission statement that it aspires to “build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, and use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” 

While the company is not promising to solve all the world’s problems, it is promising to do its part to make responsible apparel and help save the planet. Staff members and consumers realize through a statement like this that the company supports environmental causes, and by supporting them, they are also doing something small to help that cause. 

There is a reason you started doing what you are doing. Make sure you can demonstrate how that mission can grow to better others and the world we live in.

Be Punchy to Be Memorable

Mark Twain once said that he sent a long letter because he did not have time to write a short one. While there are companies with mission statements that are paragraphs long, the best mission statements are ones that you could easily speak out in a sentence or two. It makes it easier for employees to relay and for customers to remember. 

Using the right language becomes crucial in that case. Every word needs to be chosen for maximum impact and understanding. Try to be as concise as possible. If it is lengthy, pare it down to sharpen its delivery. 

Once you have it in a place where you feel like it is short and sweet, make sure that the message is consistently used across all platforms and that the team is aware of the changes. Explain the value of aligning company actions with the mission’s intent – a mission statement is most effective when everyone is on board. 

It is worth taking the time to develop a relevant, impactful mission statement. It serves as a reminder of why you founded your business and where you are headed. It is the kind of language that can guide you and motivate your team for years to come. 

If you need help getting yours in the right place, let us know! Our experts can help guide you through the creative process and arrive at a mission statement that beautifully and efficiently describes your value and the impact of your work.