Your Mission Is....

What is your mission?  What is your reason for being?  An organization's mission statement should answer three questions.

So, isn't a mission statement just for the big guys?  Isn't it something you frame and place in the entry of your corporate headquarters or bury somewhere on your website?  You don't really expect a company's employees to be able to recite the company mission, do you?

A mission statement that reflects your values, and expresses your organization's purpose can inspire your staff - not always an easy task.  Does your mission statement reside in your head?  If so, I urge you to consider involving a team of your employees to develop a written company mission statement.  While this might seem a scary task to relinquish, my clients are often pleasantly surprised with the mission statement that results and with the level of employee buy in.  You know how it is when you're trying to get your spouse to make a purchase.  If you can get them to think it was their idea, it is a much easier sale.
 
Once developed, a mission statement can be very useful in the hiring process.  Let's say your mission statement indicates, among other things, your commitment to the environment and a healthy lifestyle.  A prospective employee who happens to be a smoker, may self select out of the running for a position with your company based on that mission statement.
 
If you find you spend more time than you'd like answering questions from employees, consider allowing them to make decisions within certain parameters.  Part of Starbuck's mission statement says, "...We're passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with care, and improving the lives of people who grow them..."  Using your mission statement as a guideline helps employees make good decisions and frees you for activities that bring in revenue.    Your employees are transformed from those who bring you problems to solution finders.

A mission statement keeps us all on track, focused on what we are really all about.  Starbuck's mission statement is... "To inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time."