Use this 3 step worksheet to develop a defining Mission Statement for your organization.
A Mission Statement clearly and succinctly defines the business you are in; the values and
philosophies of ownership and the executive group; and is a guide for expected behaviors of the
people who make the enterprise a vital entity. It may be published for external stakeholders such
as vendors, partners, customers and the social community, as well as internally for all to use in
their decision-making.
Your statement of Mission is a commitment by the creators to adhere to its tenets with the
expectation that everyone else in the organization will do the same. It is all pervasive, guiding
the articulation of a Vision, formulation of supporting Strategies, and the design of
organizational structures, goal systems, and means for their effective execution.
Your Mission is a positive statement with which your people may identify, and that they can
support, as manifested in their daily performance. It is a yardstick by which all decisions may be
measured. It requires consistent support and repetition. Your Mission represents current status
and the future, something for which you are willing to strive.
The following four questions provide a starting point to help crystallize your thoughts so that
you may author a brief statement of approximately 50 words that will represent your Mission.
Have patience with yourself, your colleagues, and the process. It takes time and effort. The
result is worth it.
Available as a downloadable PDF.