A mission statement–more than a framed document in the lobby?
Your mission statement is an inspirational representation of your current business climate: it sets the stage for your expectations and the future endeavors of your employees. It is meant to motivate your team “in the now” to visualize the impacts of their work in the future, while articulating what needs to be accomplished in order to achieve success.
A mission statement offers clarity on what your business is delivering today!
A recent student of our One Page Strategic Plan course shared: “The Mission of your company should not be something that just gets made up, but it is something that you live and breathe every single day of your business.”
Your mission statement is your business’s compass: it guides your decision making, how you invest your time, ways to market yourself, and how to shape your company’s culture.
Not only does the mission statement act as a model for employees, it is also an illustration of your business that will attract clients–making it one of your most powerful selling tools!
How a mission statement will establish your business
Crafting your company’s mission serves as an accessible guide in which employees and team members can collaborate around a situation and align their ideas with the aim of your business.
The pitfall of many businesses begins with a failure to craft a robust mission statement. The absence of clarity equals the absence of uniformity and team cohesion. Make your mission statement a priority!
“Achieving strategic clarity is hard. It takes asking tough questions about tradeoffs, deep concentration to get to the very essence of the issues and real courage to cut off competing priorities. It is worth the effort because with real clarity, people, teams and organizations can fully mobilize, break through to the next level and achieve something truly great.” Greg McKeown
Combining concrete rhetoric with inspirational messages is what Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad coin “strategic intent”; this directional document lends itself to a measurable, tangible mission by which employees can accessibly orient themselves.
Does it truly affect the culture of my business?
In a study conducted by B. Bartkus and M. Glassman, research on the relationship between mission statements and management suggests the visibility of a powerful mission statement drastically influences the culture of the work environment.
Mission statements utilizing concise language that address expectations of the social climate were found to be positively correlated to employees’ conscientious behaviors and the alignment to this culture.
Comprehensive mission statements inspire modeled behavior and consistency in your business’s culture.
Strategies for writing your mission statement with clarity and focus
Here are two straightforward questions to help guide you in crafting a powerful mission statement that will demonstrate your values of culture and efficiency in your business:
- What is the goal of your business?
- What will this goal enable you to achieve?
Similar to the crafting of a vision statement, rely on Guided Inquiry to generate as much content as possible so that you be assured that your mission statement is as robust as your business!
Achieving collective effervescence
Sociologist Émile Durkheim introduced, in the early 20th century, the concept of collective effervescence: the phenomena in which the simultaneous participation of a group in a shared action results in the mental invigoration of individuals and unification of the community. Today, collective effervescence has widely been attributed to the mobilization of social movements and the success of companies and nonprofits alike. This social phenomena evokes personal motivation in employees to achieve shared success through united actions.
The mission statement is your opportunity to ignite collective effervescence among your staff and clients. Your mission shapes the culture of your business, the inspiration of your employees and the drive to attain a common goal.
Do not miss out on the opportunity to incite collective effervescence within your business! To reap the benefits of a focused, clear mission statement, reach out to us at (888) 726-1414 or email us at info@pendolinogroup.com.
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