I attended a meeting this morning where the keynote speaker stated that missions weren’t important. I disagree. I do agree a major perception of ‘mission statements’ is they are full of BS, fluff and don’t say anything. I agree that is an example of a bad company mission. But in my opinion, you already have a company mission. It is your core reason for being. You generally can’t change it and if and when you think about it hard enough, it will come to you. You just need to figure out how to articulate it elegantly and simply. So I submit this for your consideration:
Your Company Mission is the same as your Company’s Core Purpose; it needs to be a driving force for your business, and everyone in your business needs to understand the importance of a mission statement.
The Company’s Core Purpose is
- the Company’s reason for being
- what it does to make its customers’ lives better, each and every day.
- Some substitute ‘society’s’ for ‘customers’
Your company’s core purpose already exists. It is not something that can be changed easily if at all.
Although your core purpose doesn’t change, it does inspire innovation and change for the greater good
Your Core Purpose must be identified and shared.
It must be easily identifiable by your customers and employees
It is not necessarily your current offerings of products and services or even your current customer makeup.
To understand what your Core Purpose is, ask the following:
- What contribution does your business make to your customers’ lives each and every day?
Then ask these five questions in this order:
- Why is this important?
- Why is this important?
- Why is this important?
- Why is this important?
- Why is this important?
And finally ask:
- Is it obvious to your customers and employees?
When you have finished answering these questions, you must be able to articulate your company mission in less than 10 words.
Want to know more? Call me. I will be happy to discuss why you need to know this and how you can turn this into a very powerful tool to help drive your company’s performance.
