Mission statement

A mission statement is an organisation's vision translated into written form. It makes concrete (for all to see and read) a leader's view of the direction and purpose of an organisation. For many corporate leaders it is a vital part of their attempt to motivate employees and to set priorities.

The challenge is to distil this into a few short, pithy paragraphs that will be memorable to all those with an interest in the company. It is all too easy for a mission statement to become a bland idealistic blur, as in this (anonymous but real) example: “The mission of X is to maximise the company value by providing total quality services, empowering customer-oriented employees and growing through expansion, acquisition and new technology.” Such jargon is not likely to fire imaginations struggling to establish an entirely new market.