A mission statement template is a document that contains a formal summary of the objectives and values of a company or an individual. It outlines the company’s special features that would set them apart from their competition. A mission statement defines the following;
- What the company is
- Who their targeted customers are
- What they can offer
- Where and how to do it
Table of Contents
- 1 What is a mission statement?
- 2 What is the length of a business mission statement?
- 3 The importance of a mission statement:
- 4 What to include in a mission statement?
- 5 How to create a strong mission statement?
- 6 Some additional tips for making a business mission statement:
- 7 The benefits of making your mission statement:
- 8 Conclusion:
- 9 Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
What is a mission statement?
Most successful businesses use a mission statement template to pay more attention on their business. This document defines the company’s objectives in three ways;
- For the customers, what your company does
- For the employees, what your company does
- For the owners, what your company does
These are the basics but some companies have included a 4th and 5th dimension namely;
- For the community, what your company does
- For the world, what your company does
For the first time, writing sample mission statements or revising an existing one is an effective way to develop the company’s goal culture, ethics, and its standards for making decisions. Sometimes, in some business operations, it becomes uncertain that specific daily routines can become obstacles.
What is the length of a business mission statement?
A mission statement should consist of one to three sentences not more than 100 words. Hence, it isn’t easy to explain how the company began and where the vision came from. Make sure your content should be descriptive, direct, and purposeful. It serves as a sort of subheading for your company. The mission statement is considered as a branding tool that specifies the purpose of your company in a few memorable sentences.
The importance of a mission statement:
Let us discuss below the reasons that why every business must have one;
It provides direction to your company
Having a defined goal provides the company a target to pay attention. It becomes a reminder to the employees of the reason WHY they are there. It also acts as a type of guidepost to keep all the members of the team clear on what their purpose is and which their mission is.
It assists in the decision-making process
The mission statement format refers itself with an objective. Thus, you can make it a guide for thinking and deciding for the company. It automatically becomes a guideline in the decision-making process as it includes an outline of the purpose of the company. On the sample mission statement, the workforce can always fall back. The workforce also compares the decisions they’ve made to the direction and mission of the company. This statement is an important tool in identifying whether they made a right or wrong decision.
It assists everyone pay attention to the future of the company
The vision informs where the company will be after a certain amount of time. It commonly leans towards a preferred future. Never confuse your vision with the company’s mission. However, they differ but they are relevant as one is a consequence of the other. The mission pays attention to the company’s vision. It tells you that what you’re doing now takes you to where you want your company to be in the future.
It helps in aligning the team
It is always suggested that when new employees join the team they get a proper induction. They are also made aware of the direction and the goals of the company. The company mission statement is considered as the foundation of the company’s goals. It is for the whole organization not just for the team.
In performing every task, all the members of the team should be in-sync to function properly. The statement includes an outline of what the company does and why. By knowing this, it results in more efficiency and effectiveness within the whole organization.
It welcomes and involves healthy change
Change is an inevitable part of life. Change in business is considered healthy and an integral part of its evolution. In fact, change is the key to the success of the business. In a business environment, new changes can often be a challenge. But, the company’s mission is the one feature that should not change.
What to include in a mission statement?
There are three basic elements included in most mission statements;
- Goal: it is the core of a mission statement. It might be empowering female business owners, giving quality hair care, etc.
- Audience: the collection of people who might interact with the company is referred as audience. This may include potential customers, investors and the general public.
- Method: the means which is used by the company to achieve its goal. They may use innovative technology, giving high customer service, or selecting high-quality raw materials.
How to create a strong mission statement?
Here are the steps and tips that you should follow to create a strong mission statement;
State a definition of what your company does
Your mission statement should state that what you can do for your customers. The story that describes your market takes the message which can already make this clear to your target customers. Since your intentions are always good so never undervalue your company.
To prove that you’re doing something right, you don’t have to stop global warming or cure cancer. Don’t hesitate to incorporate in your mission statement in case you believe that what your business has to offer can benefit the world. If you want to make such claims then they must be both meaningful and discernible from other businesses.
Mention a definition of what your company does for the employees
You should always take into consideration the value of your employees. Motivates and rewards your employees as the culture of the company matters. A well-made statement also has information about what the company can offer to its employees. You should clearly write in the mission statement of why the company is good for the employees.
Moreover, specify special views regarding your relationships with employees. This thing is similar with remote employees who work in virtual workplaces. However, such inclusions are quite rare, but you can include them.
Indicate what your company does for the owners
Most effective mission statements contain a mission that’s much broader. It also implies or contains the mission of ownership. Effective mission statements should do many functions. It defines their objectives.
While writing a mission statement, you should start by planning to develop the document for the company’s use. After that, use a customer-focused subset for general publications. Many businesses have divided mission statements. They make sections aside and categorize these by goal or type. For explanation, you can use formatting like bullet points.
Some additional tips for making a business mission statement:
Here are some tips to consider for making this statement;
- You should make use of basic structure and vocabulary that can easily understand by everyone. Make sure that while reading about your business mission statement your employees wouldn’t consult the dictionary.
- Showing your unique value is an important factor. Let the people know that why you are the best choice. Specify them what your business will assist them to gain. Try to include some inspirational or motivational elements.
- For your employees and consumers, your mission statement will become a mantra.
- You should also specify in your statement that why your business exists and how they are bettering the world.
The benefits of making your mission statement:
A mission statement template assists you in paying attention to the essential elements and ideas that you want to include in a company mission. The ideas get organized by following the structured format. When your company grows or shifts directions to update your mission statement, you can easily revisit the data that you saved in the template.
Since you write a mission statement, it provides an opportunity for every member of your team to give input. Your thought process can be easily followed by them as well as they understand how you arrived at the concepts that you have mentioned in a mission statement. Furthermore, the structure and the purpose of your business can get affected by the way you make your mission statement.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, a mission statement template is a document that outlines the ‘why’ of any business strategy. Every important decision made always depends on the mission statement. The mission statement is the objective and the values of the organization or individual.
Faqs (Frequently Asked Questions)
In the mission statement, the current purpose of a company is explained. This statement typically specifies the company’s function, target audience, and key offerings.
On the other hand, in vision statement, you get a look into a company’s future or what its overarching vision is. Likewise mission statement, this statement also includes the same elements but they are explained by using future tense.
