By
Do you ever feel like some people in your company have no idea why you are in
business and what your business does? Do you always wonder why you have
to be involved in so many of the day to day decisions? Have you always
believed that a mission statement is only for the big companies? Perhaps
it is time to evaluate your company's need for a mission and communicate it to
your people.
The three fundamental guiding principles of a company are a Vision, a Statement
of Values and a Mission Statement. A Vision is a necessary ingredient of
the strategic planning process. During visionary planning, the company's
leaders recognize opportunities and choose the company's future.
The Statement of Values relates to those human and ethical principles that
guide the conduct of the business. It should reflect the organization's
belief in areas such as: honesty, fairness to customers and employees, quality
and customer service. Examples of organizations with values at opposite
ends of the spectrum would be religious organizations and the Mafia.
Without a well communicated Statement of Values, your employees are forced to
involve you in many of their day to day decisions or interpret a course of
action based on their understanding of previous situations.
The Mission Statement is a description of the product and the market
served. It will define the who, what and how for
the company. The who is the customer group(s) or market
segments. The what is the product or service
that fills the customers' needs. The how is the alternative technologies
used to manufacture or supply the product to the customer group.
So now that you have for the umpteenth time had these concepts defined for you,
what next? The biggest hurdle you have to overcome is momentum. You
won't have one until you truly recognize their value to your people and believe
that they will help you fulfill your leadership role in your organization.
Okay! Okay! So now you believe! How do you develop one?
Fortunately, there is a systematic, detailed procedure for coming to grips with
identifying a company's strengths and developing a valid business
mission. You need to define the following areas:
A. A General Statement of Purpose
B. Product Scope
C. Customer/Market Scope
D. Geographic Scope
E. Technology Scope
An example of a Mission Statement developed from this process is, "XYZ Corporation will design, manufacture,
market and service customer installed local area network systems. The
emphasis will be on small business customers located in
This mission statement should make it clear to everyone in the organization
exactly why you are in business and the direction you are going. It
should be understood that no resources should be used to do anything that is
not in step with the mission.
One final word. Entrepreneurs, as a breed,
dislike Mission Statements. It inhibits their ability to flit around from
one project to another. Great!!! Entrepreneurs are also visionaries
and shouldn't be tied down. But, please remember that all of the rest of
the people in the company may be starving for a Mission Statement that they can
follow. It will certainly provide them with your guidelines and wisdom,
while alleviating your involvement in their day to day responsibilities.