Most organizations have documented mission and vision statements – and for good reason. Mission statements, in particular, describe the organization’s purpose through well-defined goals and values. Want to take it a step further? Encourage each department to create a team mission statement and align everyone around a unified purpose and direction.
Mission statements require careful, thoughtful consideration. A team mission statement sets the agenda, functioning as a north star, a guiding light directing each team member toward a common goal.
Author and businessman Stephen Covey said it best:
Well-constructed mission statements assist teams when:
What goes into creating a mission statement? How do you create a team mission statement? And what are some mission statement examples you can use as inspiration? Read on or jump to the most appealing section to find out:
United by a shared mission!
A corporate mission statement is a brief description that summarizes the purpose of the company’s existence. It alludes to the company’s corporate culture, defining shared goals and values that drive companies to achieve growth.
A team mission statement is very similar. However, unlike the corporate mission statement, a team mission statement defines the team’s purpose with more narrowed goals and values.
Your team leader, director, or VP may seek input from each team member to create the team mission statement. Collaborative construction of the team mission statement ensures every team member agrees with the purpose, the shared values, and the general vision the team defines on a path to success.
Fulfilling a mission to achieve the goals and vision.
Your corporate or team mission statement isn’t the only method to instill structure in your organization. There are also vision statements, goals for the organization, and the values each team will embody while conducting business.
These terms are often used interchangeably, but their meanings differ. Make sure that your team defines each of these terms in concise statements. You want to create clarity and consistency across the organization.
The purpose of a mission statement is to create focus and structure within a team. Mission statement examples encompass the corporate vision, goals, and values. Team members refer back to the mission statements for clarity as they work to improve productivity or efficiency.
The mission statement applies to all corporate stakeholders regardless of their titles or roles. Therefore, think of the mission statement as a rule book to which all members of the organization are accountable, such as:
The mission statement defines what the team does, how the work gets done and, most importantly, why. This is key to creating an organizational structure. Structure and organization allow teams to execute tasks with precision and efficiency in pursuit of shared goals.
Project management and documentation help you communicate clear, structured, and accessible tasks to all team members. Transparent guidelines enable every team member to effectively and efficiently contribute to the team’s pursuit of the shared mission, vision, goals, and values.
You can use project and task management tools to create working processes that make collaborative teamwork a success. Learn more about how to get collaborative teamwork right so that you can achieve the goals of your mission.
Creating a viable team mission statement requires alignment with the company vision statement. Whereas a mission statement is more detailed, reflecting the shared goals and values of the organization, a vision statement is more concise.
Mind mapping exercises help jumpstart and organize creative thinking. Use MindMeister to build a collaborative vision statement workflow and document your efforts with MeisterTask .
Begin by listing out several ideas of what your organization wants to achieve. Trim down those concepts into one or two key objectives that best represent your organizational desire to make a difference. Keep your vision statement clear and easy to understand so that everyone on the team knows how best to fulfill their purpose. Try the Vision and Mission note template in MeisterTask.
Document your mission and vision with MeisterTask’s Vision and Mission Note Template. All you need to do is fill in the template and invite team members to make their contributions. It’s easy to share, structure, and finalize!
Every company and every team is unique. There’s no single cookie-cutter way to craft a mission statement in a diverse global landscape. However, a handful of underlying principles help answer how to create a mission statement. Follow these five concepts to help write an effective mission statement for your team.
Improve your mission statement creative process with task and project management software. Add MeisterTask to your mission statement workflow today.
Now that you understand the purpose of a mission statement and how to distinguish a mission from a vision, goals, and values. It’s time to create your team’s mission statement.
What are some mission statement examples to use as inspiration? These are 15 of the most prominent mission statements from leading global brands to help you get started.
There are thousands of t-shirt companies, but Life is Good has distinguished its products with a compelling mission statement. Their mission is to help people feel more optimistic whenever they read one of their t-shirt's funny or uplifting slogans.
Examples of their t-shirt slogans include “Seas the Day” or “Forecast: Mostly Sunny.” You can’t help but smile and feel more positive when you see one of their uplifting shirts.
Patagonia’s mission is to give back to the environment. Their founders believe in creating environmentally sustainable products that can last a lifetime and be recycled. It reduces ecological footprints by conserving the planet’s limited resources.
Patagonia believes so passionately in their values that it donates a percentage of its sales to global environmental causes. If your team is passionate about giving back, use Patagonia as an example to create a mission statement that makes a difference.
American Express prides itself on its customer service. Therefore, promoting their service as essential for their customers is an excellent mission statement.
The mission statement extends to the values of teamwork and celebrating employee excellence. Empowering employees to feel good about their contributions directly feeds into the quality of service delivered to customers.
Some mission statements use precise language to communicate their values. Warby Parker is a perfect example of a brand that conveys its vision and goals as a business.
The more detailed parts of their mission statement allude to their innovative business model. If your team’s goal centres around innovation, Warby Parker shows how to craft an innovative mission statement.
IKEA’s leaders dream big, and that dream is to make fashionable home furnishing products that are affordable for everyday consumers. It’s difficult to find fault in a mission statement that places the needs of its customers above anything else.
IKEA includes the phrase “as many people as possible” in their mission statement. A simple statement makes all the difference by conveying that they are a global brand that wants to help everyone it can reach.
