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HOW TO WRITE A MISSION STATEMENT

If you don't know where you're going, how will you get there?

A mission statement is essential for a company because it explains why your company exists. This statement should resonate with the people working in and for the organization. It must clearly and simply state the company's purpose, inspire and convey what it hopes to achieve, all at the same time. A good mission statement should last several years before you fine tune and adjust it. Adjustments to the mission statement should only happen when the statement loses relevance, is no longer appropriate or no longer affects the people of the company.

A mission statement should answer the following questions:
1. PURPOSE: What is the purpose of the company? What needs are you addressing?
2. BUSINESS: What is the company doing to address these needs?
3. VALUES: What are the values of the company? What beliefs and principles guide the work?

There are many approaches to writing a mission statement. We believe this method to be an effective one.
1. List the company's strengths and weaknesses.
2. List the company's main clients by their type.
3. List the company's goals and achievements.
4. Associate the relationship of the strengths of the company with the clients.
5. Talk to all levels of employees (VPs, board members, staff etc.); ask them the same questions
6. Write short descriptions about these relationships.
7. Use these descriptions to refine a mission statement.

Don't forget to keep the mission statement short and effective. Express your purpose with the end goal of inspiring and motivating. Use verbs that are proactive and remove all jargon. The statement should be able to be repeated easily.

Here are some samples:
1. Microsoft - "Empower people through great software anytime, anyplace, and on any device."
2. Walt Disney - "To make people happy."
3. PepsiCo - "PepsiCo's overall mission is to increase the value of our shareholder's investment. We do this through sales growth, cost controls and wise investment of resources. We believe our commercial success depends upon offering quality and value to our consumers and customers; providing products that are safe, wholesome, economically efficient and environmentally sound; and providing a fair return to our investors while adhering to the highest standards of integrity."

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