Why does your business exist?”
The answer to this fundamental question is often more difficult to uncover than meets the eye. A corporate mission is a way of understanding the purpose of your business beyond that of simply making money. A corporate mission statement is essentially a communication tool to give various stakeholders in your business a foundation for your work.
A corporate mission has a positive effect on your bottom line
A well-defined and properly communicated corporate mission will impact four specific areas:
- Your People
- Your Customers
- Your Suppliers
- Your Lenders
The creation of a business mission statement begins with you
Writing a mission statement should begin with a reflection on why you started the business in the first place. How did you begin? What did you want to accomplish? When you’re ready to engage your business, follow these steps to create your corporate mission.
1. Your corporate mission statement must work for you
The principles of your mission statement must agree with your Personal Foundation. It’s your company, so if it doesn’t work for you, there’s very little point having one.
2. Involve everyone in your business
A mission statement that only serves the interests of the owner is as good as no mission statement at all. The final decision is yours but feedback and opinions from the people in your business will build acceptance and adoption
3. Give your people some place to start
Involving large groups can waste a tremendous amount of time and energy going around in circles if the agenda is too wide open. It’s much more efficient to solicit feedback and input in stages, based on your initial ideas than it is to begin with an open-ended question.
Your goal is to get your whole company moving in the same direction
Even the smallest companies can have a vision because every company should have a purpose. Some of the most successful companies have defined their missions and established a strong and effective corporate culture as a result. Here are some more examples of meaningful mission statements to get you started.
| Google, Mission Statement: |
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| Google's Mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful |
| The Body Shop, Mission Statement: |
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Our Reason For Being
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| Wardell Professional Development: Our Mission |
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| Wardell Professional Development is a progressive organization, dedicated to helping people achieve their entrepreneurial dreams. |