The mission is the cause that the company serves, the meaning of its existence. It shows what value the business represents to buyers, what the organization is created for and what it strives for in addition to financial interest. The mission is usually formulated in a short, understandable phrase.
For example, McDonald’s sees its mission in “serving a large number of customers quickly and efficiently using a standard set of products.” And Mary Kay wants to “make women’s lives better with cosmetics and provide them with career opportunities.”
In both cases, we are talking about the benefits for customers, and not about the financial goals of companies.
The mission helps answer 3 questions about the organization:
- Why does it exist?
- Who wants to help?
- How is going to do it?
In addition, the strategic component of the business is formed on the basis of the mission: principles, goals, positioning, differences from other market participants, role in society.
This is a kind of company philosophy that allows:
- convey the vision of the organization;
- manage internal and external communication;
- motivate employees to achieve common goals;
- create a positive image of the company.
When employees are faced with an ambiguous choice, the answer to the question “Is this in line with the mission of our company?” will help you make the right decision.
Is it possible to do without a mission?
Many companies exist for many years without any philosophy. Not everyone sets lofty goals. You need to come to the need to fulfill the mission.
Let’s say you’re doing great anyway: a profitable business, motivated employees, satisfied customers. There is no need to invent anything. But if you want to move on, then the mission can become a stepping stone in development.
For example, people wonder why a successful businessman is suddenly offering free courses. For what? And he just grew up. It’s like in psychology with Maslow’s pyramid: all basic needs are satisfied and the main one remains – self-actualization, when you want, so to speak, to leave a mark on history.
How to develop a business mission?
If you feel that a business needs a mission, start developing:
- Analyze the situation. Describe your area of activity, target audience, customer problems that the company solves, its values, what mark the organization seeks to leave. Determine what sets you apart from your competitors.
- Study the experience of successful organizations. So you will understand which position is closer to you, and which formulations leave you indifferent.
- Combine answers into text. It should be small and reflect the image of your company. Sometimes the result is a short USP, but more inspired. Do not use complex sentences, florid phrases, and highly specialized terms that will be understood by a limited circle of people.
- Edit your entries. It is necessary to shorten the text and leave the most important information that will fit on the presentation slide.
- Test the result. Share the mission with colleagues, employees, and people outside the company. It is important that your message is understandable to others and really matches the image of the organization.
Write down the comments and impressions of people after reading. Think about whether you are expecting such a response. If necessary, refine the mission and retest. Just do not get carried away with edits, they can be done endlessly.
Mistakes in mission description
Some confuse mission with purpose. The latter is a narrower concept that denotes the achievement of the desired, time-limited result. The mission carries a message to society about the activities of the organization. When formulating it, you do not need:
- Mention profit. And so it is clear that any business involves obtaining material benefits.
- Use abstract concepts, formulaic phrases. For example, “Working and Living Together for the Good of All.” This is Canon’s mission, which makes it impossible to determine what kind of activity they are talking about, in what way they want to be useful.
- Describe fictional aspirations. If the mission is just a beautiful, idle phrase, people will understand it.
If there is nothing to write about, do not write, otherwise you will get a template that can be applied to any company. For example: “We strive to be leaders in the market … (insert the desired field of activity), improve the quality of products and services, take care of customers and offer the best … (add a product).”
Examples of successful wording
In conclusion, here are some perfectly formulated, in our opinion, missions:
- Google: “Systematize all the information in the world and make it available to every user.”
- Toyota: “To unite efforts and unite the work of people through the construction of quality cars.”
- Danone: Bringing health to people through food.
- Alibaba: “Remove any barriers between buyer and seller.”
- Twitter: “Enabling everyone to share ideas and information instantly, without barriers.”
Remember, the mission does not need to be pulled by the ears. The desire for something more than making money must be sincere. If a company has a low-quality product, a low level of service, employees who are dissatisfied with a small salary, then no formal phrases about light and clean will save the situation. Does your company have a mission?
