Why do we need a mission statement? I have already posted an
article about typical mistakes leaders make while formulating a mission statement (MS). In this article, I will try to share my experience creating mission statements for the companies I managed as a CEO and helping my customers find the words for their MSs.
But we should start with a question – why do we need a mission statement? Its development requires time and effort. What value does it create for a business? I have already partly answered this question
previously; just to recap:
1. Employees spend more time at work than they do with their beloved ones
2. They want their work time and the effort they make to be meaningful and rewarding
3. Helping other people is a natural instinct inherent to all humans
Therefore, employees need a unifying idea, a basis that could help them feel that the sacrifice they make by spending lion's share of their lifetime at work brings them something besides a pay check. And a mission statement may be of much help.
Four crucial questions For me, a mission statement should contain answers to four questions:
1. For whom do we work? Who's life becomes better because of our effort?
2. What do we suggest to them? What value does our work create for these people?
3. How do we make it possible? What features let us be unique?
4. Why do we need it? What would we like to change in the world around us by doing our job well?