Employees rarely ask about it in their interview, but they know that somewhere in the bottom drawer gathering dust is the company’s mission statement. It should be at the core of defining the ‘why’ behind the business, but for some organisations it is written and forgotten.
A strong mission statement that connects to the hearts and drivers of employees is a powerful engagement and retention tool, but when the company fails to deliver, it can feel like the business is not authentic. The mission lets shareholders, customers, employees, and candidates know the purpose of the organisation and engages them in the ‘why’ and ‘how’ behind the business. For many, a strong mission is critical in highlighting how they can positively contribute to success.
Many people feel like mission statements are reserved for the big corporate players, but that is not the case. Given that they are designed to capture an organisation’s purpose, it is just as relevant for sole traders, small businesses and not for profits.
A mission statement is a selection of carefully chosen words that encapsulate an organisation’s purpose. It is kept short to be remembered and traditional ones will identify:
Some people believe that a mission should help the audience to understand the organisation’s philosophies, what makes it strong in the marketplace and the ‘desired state’. It can be seen as an expression by its leaders of their intention for the business. For others, all that is required is a few words that captures the business purpose.
A mission statement is like a glass slipper; it needs to perfectly fit your organisation. It usually requires input from multiple stakeholder groups, several brainstorming sessions, and endless bits of crumpled up paper. Most importantly, it needs to resonate with customers, employees, and stakeholders.
Unique mission statement examples include:
While each mission statement is unique, the final one demonstrates that an effective statement can be extremely simple. In this scenario, this supports the business model of delivering information succinctly and powerfully connects the mission to the company brand.
Defining a mission can seem like a big mountain to climb, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A good place to start is researching your favourite companies to gain inspiration on what they captured through their mission. Look at the ones with few words and the ones that clearly articulate their purpose to get a feel of what might work best for your business.
There are multiple ways to arrive at the right destination for your organisation, including the following suggestions to get the creative juices flowing:
Ensure that you have clear understanding between the differences of a vision and mission statement. A vision is capturing what a company is aspiring to be and a mission captures the organisation’s purpose. Whilst they are different, they do go hand in hand with the business strategy.
A mission statement should never be created by the CEO in isolation. Leaders and employees are in the box seat when it comes to defining the mission and their feedback should be gained to better understand the right fit. Consider setting up surveys, work groups and brainstorming sessions to ask:
In the stakeholder engagement process, there will be common themes and words that emerge. Take note of these and use them to guide the forming stage. It is recommended that the key themes are presented to the senior leadership group as an output of the information gathering stage and the following is considered.
The mission statement should be:
After the hard work is completed, it is time to test the mission statement. This can be challenging as it is tempting to lock it in and start printing on glossy marketing materials. It is always a good idea to take a step back and invite fresh eyes to review it. A mission statement may be clever, but is it inspirational and engaging? Does it excite your workforce and show the personality of the business?
Testing the mission statement with an external focus group is a way for people outside of the organisation to see if there is any jargon that they do not understand or if there are a number of words that simply say nothing anything at all.
Finalising the mission statement is exciting, but that is not the end of the work. It should be authentically brought to life by the values, behaviours, and actions of the leadership group and embody the organisation’s purpose. Ultimately, a strong mission statement will inspire the employee group to bring their best to work and understand the intrinsic value of their contribution.
Ai Group has experienced HR consultants who can partner with your business to devise a mission statement that best reflects your brand and purpose. For assistance with your workplace matters, Members of Ai Group can contact us or call our Workplace Advice Line on 1300 55 66 77 for further information.
Take advantage of more than 140 years of experience actively solving Members’ workplace issues and representing their interests at the highest levels of national and state government. Being a Member of Ai Group makes good business sense.
Call us on 1300 55 66 77 or visit our Why join page to sign up for a consultation with one of our member representatives.
Georgina is Senior HR Content Editor – Publications at Ai Group. She is an accomplished Human Resource professional with over 25 years of generalist and leadership experience in a broad range of industries including financial services, tourism, travel, government and agriculture. She has successfully advised and partnered with senior leaders to implement people and performance initiatives that align to business strategy. Georgina is committed to utilising her experience to create resources that educate and engage and is passionate about supporting members to optimise an inclusive workforce culture that drives performance.
