Mission Statements: Leading through Communication

Like strategic planning, mission statements have gotten a bad rap.  Some organizations "word-smith" a mission statement to death, selecting words that "sound good", thus missing the real value and purpose of a mission statement.

A mission statement is a foundational communications tool in the organization that should leave no room for interpretation and clearly inform the reader about: a) who you are; b) what you do; and c) who you do it for. A test for a good mission statement is to give it to ten people to interpret.  If you get a wide range of interpretations, chances are that your mission statement is ambiguous. 

Use these strategies for developing a mission statement that is on point and helps an organization communicate its purpose effectively.

1. Answer the following questions to help brainstorm a verbal picture of your organization's mission:

• Why are we in business?
• Who are our customers?
• What problems/issues are we solving?
• What image do we want to convey to our community?
• How can we summarize, yet paint a clear picture of, the services we deliver to solve issues?
• What makes our organization unique?

2. Make sure that the development of the mission statement is a collaborative process within the organization.  Once you have a draft on paper, review it by asking these questions:

• Is it too broad?
• Is there a more concise way of saying the same thing?
• Does the language you use allow for the organization to grow or develop?
• Is the mission statement easy to understand?

3. The final draft should go through an interpretation test with ten people who have not been involved in the creative process, to ensure that the intended meaning is consistently understood. One note for those of you creating mission statements - your main concern is not the length/brevity of the statement, but people's ability to consistently articulate its meaning.

Here are some of our favs.  See if you can answer the mission formula questions: a) who we are; b) what we do; and c) who we do it for.

Apple: Apple is committed to bringing the best personal computing experience to students, educators, creative professionals and consumers around the world through its innovative hardware, software and Internet offerings.

San Diego Zoo is a conservation, education, and recreation organization dedicated to the reproduction, protection, and exhibition of animals, plants, and their habitats.

National Multiple Sclerosis Society: We mobilize people and resources to drive research for a cure and to address the challenges of everyone affected by MS.

Doctors without Borders: works in nearly 70 countries providing medical aid to those most in need regardless of their race, religion, or political affiliation.

Google: Google's mission is to organize the world‘s information and make it universally accessible and useful.

Of course, we love FCM's mission:  Our national consulting team excels at building high performing organizations by aligning business processes with a brand strategy that results in outstanding market position to attract the right funders, partners, and customers.

Once your mission statement is completed, you'll use it as an effective communication tool to lead and promote. New ideas and projects that surface should fit within the definition of the mission statement.  Goals, strategies and metrics should align to the mission statement. Use the statement on your website in the "about" sections and, most importantly, make sure that all staff, board members and partners are aware of, and inspired by, your mission.