Every business needs a mission. Maybe you can get away without writing one out and publishing it on your website, but creating one is worth the effort. Many businesses will throw one together without much thought and empty of meaning. Other businesses with go through a long arduous team process and wind up with an overblown statement that stitches together everyone’s ideas into an incoherent document. In both cases, if you asked employees what the mission is, it’s unlikely you would get many answers that match what is in writing.
The fact is that a mission statement should be easily understood by everyone in the organization. It should unite everyone to a common purpose. Therefore it should be simple. Try to keep it to three or fewer simple sentences. If necessary, it’s okay to add paragraphs that explain how the mission will be accomplished.
Commit to your mission statement. Explain it to everyone, including new hires. Post it. Put it on your website and on social media. Use it in marketing materials, where appropriate.
Change is inevitable, so be prepared to periodically review the mission statement to make sure it reflects the current reality. Update, if necessary.
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