Some people like them, some people loathe them, but a powerful corporate mission statement can help seal a business deal. If you don’t have one, it’s time to write one, because an effective and creative corporate mission statement can help drive your business strategy and help scale your plans for growth.
A corporate mission statement is like a business blueprint, and when it adequately reflects your values, your goals and your key characteristics, you’ll be able to rely on it for direction when you need it most.
A corporate mission statement clearly defines three main aspects of your business; what your company does for your customers, what your business does for your employees, and what your company does for its owners. If you want to delve deep, you can also define what you do for the community and what you do on a global scale.
Crafting a compelling corporate mission statement is easy too, when you know what to write and why you’re writing it…
- Cull the crap and get clear.
Start short and sweet, and be clear and concise about what you do. Are you solving a problem? Are you offering a solution? Are you improving something? Are you saving customers’ time? There’s no need to write an essay from the starting line, just be clear about what you do or what your product does in plain and straightforward language. State the facts first, and tell the stories later.
- Find the goodness.
After clearly defining what you do or what your product does for your customers, you can then start shaping a creative story. Craft your corporate mission statement with honesty, authenticity and emotive language, but convey the goodness you do with compelling words. If you’re solving a problem, state it proudly. If your product helps people, explain how and why life is better with it. Get real, get human, and get honest in a way that creatively communicates your purpose.
- Empower people with people.
Unless you’re selling self-running software, chances are there a lot of hands that make light work of what you do. A good corporate mission statement acknowledges the work a company’s employees do to contribute to the business’ growth, and it also exists to improve to lives of its workers too. Be clear about how and why your company serves its employees, and how they in turn better the trajectory of the company. Creativity, respect, diversity and fairness are essential considerations.
- Revisit, revise and revolutionise.
It’s easy to miss the forest for the trees when you’re getting down and detailed with your corporate mission statement, so don’t forget to step away for a few days and let your masterpiece simmer. Your corporate mission statement is something that will grow and change with your company over time, and it’s worthwhile revising it every 12 months too; with growth comes change, and with change comes the need for reflection.
Let me know your thoughts or if you have any questions in the comment section below
