Your mission statement should be something that everybody in the company knows. It should inspire and unite your team.

In 1961, the USA was engaged in a space race with the Soviet Union and they were losing. In a bold effort to take the lead, President John F Kennedy vowed to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade. It would be a huge undertaking but one that could be achieved if the nation got behind the vision.

A year later JFK was visiting NASA to see how the project was going when he spoke to a cleaner sweeping the floors. The story goes that JFK asked the cleaner what he was doing and the cleaner replied ‘Mr President, I’m sending a man to the moon’.

JFK’s clarity in the communication of his mission to ‘put a man on the moon’ had been successfully defined and communicated. Everyone knew what they were doing and why they were doing it.

Company mission statements rarely unite and excite the teams who are meant to be carrying them out because they lack something important - a mission.
The pilot of a passenger airliner does not even get in the cockpit without first knowing the destination, yet so often teams are left in the dark about why a company exists, what it is there to do, and who it is there to do it for.

When a mission is clearly defined it is possible to see what is needed to start the journey, what you already have that will help achieve the end goal, and what is in the way of you getting there.

A mission statement that is specific can inspire action. One that is vague can cause confusion. A good mission statement sets objectives, deadlines and a purpose.
Objectives give you and your team a target to aim at. Deadlines give you a sense of urgency. Purpose gives your business a reason for being.

For example, a good mission statement or vision for an ethical coffee company could be ‘We will increase our online subscriptions by 50%, distribute to 20 more cafes and 10 more restaurants over the next 2 years because everyone should be able to drink coffee that has been fairly traded.’

An objective, a deadline, and a purpose. It’s not vague, it’s measurable, and it’s something everyone in the company can get behind. The vision might ultimately be to bring an end to unethical trading in the coffee industry but that is too big a bite in one go. The mission statement can be updated and amended as time goes by but it will always serve the vision and help everyone in the company understand their role.

Do you have a mission statement? Is it clear? Does it inspire and unite your team? Do they even know what it is?

Spend an hour or two thinking about your objectives, deadlines and purpose, then craft a new mission statement that will help you achieve your goals.