"Why do I need a Mission Statement?"
The purpose of a Mission Statement is to define why the organisation exists in terms which are so unambiguous that every employee, customer, and supplier is left in no doubt of what they should strive for in their jobs and what they can expect from its products and services.
Why?
It’s the essential base for setting the big measurable objectives year to year which will lead to attaining the ultimate Vision which very business owner has:
Marketing – who are we selling to and in what £volume?
Operations – what are we delivering and to what standard that will keep raising our £volume of repeat sales?
Systems – what are we investing to keep raising % operating efficiency and data?
People - what £productivity and % commitment levels must we attain?
Finance – how much £profit / cash must we generate?
Business Value – by how much£ is it rising annually?
These are vital Objectives that every business should set and work towards without which they are flying blind.
In other words, this is the top end of a business plan set by the business owners, for the team (and owner) to define their daily / weekly actions to make it come true.
So, without the force of a long-term Mission Statement, it isn’t possible to build and execute consistent year to year plans. And without those, the success of the business becomes a matter of chance rather than design.”
“I see” says your client so how to get my 3 answers into a single sentence”
To which you reply:
“Try this, based on what you told me…
‘We make the most technically advanced widgets on the market with zero failure rate as the first choice for power engineers’ ”
“Yes, I like that.”
And can you now see how that almost by itself sets your 6 Business Objectives?”
“I do, but you’ll need to help me with more clever words!
“Now last question, what’s a Vision Statement and why does it matter?”
To which you reply:
“What do you want engraved on your headstone that your business success enabled you to do?”
“Blimey I need to think that one through!”