Six Rules for Writing and Implementing Your Own Mission Statement

Writing your own mission statement can be a tough job, but ultimately you'll get more out of the assignment than just your mission statement.You'll end up with is a clear, concise definition of what your company does, how it does it, why it does it and where it's going in the future. This exercise in itself can help focus your company on the crucial issues that perhaps you didn't realize or were unwilling to face squarely and honestly.

Each company composes its mission statement in its own way, and Say It and Live It will give you tips on how to write a mission statement designed for your company. The book is filled with examples on how other companies have done it, and their wisdom and trials can help you to write yours. Read what they've done, and use their techniques when they seem right for you. Be creative; devise and invent methods that suit your company's culture.

Although corporations have used the term 'mission statement' to include all kinds of philosophical statements including missions, values, visions, principles, credos, bonds and so on, let's break that apart for the moment. For most companies, the actual 'mission statement' is short and describes what they do and what business they're in. After that, they have the enabling or supporting material like values, principles or philosophies which help them accomplish their mission statement's goals.

The first question you should ask is: "What do I want to tell everybody that we do?" For example, Avis's Quest for Excellence says: ... our business is renting cars... Leo Burnett's mission states: The mission of the Leo Burnett Company is to create superior advertising.

Although some companies don't have a 'mission statement,' it's helpful for most companies to describe what they do, not just for themselves, but for outsiders and investors. For companies going through a massive change - such as selling off divisions and only focussing on their new core business - having a statement of what it does can be stabilizing and reassuring to employees and investors.

The second part of the project is writing the enablers. These elements tell everyone how the 'mission statement' will be accomplished and what principles or values the company and it's people will use to guide them day to day and into the future. This section always evokes strong feelings from executives and others in the company, because it's about human values and no two people exactly agree on what they should be.

A whole or entire mission statement should be as simple or as complex as the company. Look at Steelcase as an example: one sentence says it all. Then look at Xerox. It's so complex that it takes a while to find all the tentacles of this monster. However, each one works for that particular company and that's what counts.

Intel is a good example of a long mission statement - it has several parts - but because it's laid out in diagram form it's very simple even though it's rather lengthy. It works because each section is pithy and to the point.

Rule #1: Keep the statement simple. Not necessarily short, but simple.

Who should write it?

Some companies like Ben & Jerry's had one person write it. Twentieth Century Investors used a team approach. While other companies like Boeing and Saturn used outside consultants for some parts.

Different yet, IBM used a top-down approach - what the CEO wrote becomes dogma. While other CEOs - like Bob Allen of AT&T - wrote The Common Bond, sent it out for review by employees, then altered it based on their comments.

There is no consensus, but the best approach seems to be that the top manager or managers write the mission statement then send it out for review and comment by the senior managers and employees. Why? This way, everyone feels they have a hand in producing the document. This involvement helps get people on board. It gets them excited about the document's beliefs and principles. They have a stake in its fulfillment.

And that's Rule #2: Allow company-wide input.

Sometimes people inside a company are too close to the action to look objectively at the big picture. On the other hand, who knows more about the company than those inside who live it every day? A powerful strategy is to write the mission statement in-house with the help of an outsider. Outsiders bring a fresh look at stale problems and they can help steer around political swamps.

Rule # 3: Outsiders can bring clarity and a fresh perspective to your statement-writing process.

What should the mission statement sound like, very proper or colloquial? Northwestern Mutual Life still uses the exact wording of its original statement written in 1888. Even though some of the phrases are not colloquial anymore, it gives the company the old-fashioned flavor that it relishes and is its strength. The new, fast moving General Electric uses only three words and one of them is made up - 'boundaryless' - to show innovation and a break from the old way of doing business.

Hanna Andersson fancies itself a homey, friendly company and its choice of words reflects warmth and tenderness. The same can be said for Celestial Seasonings.

Rule #4: The wording and tone should reflect the company's personality or what the company would like to be.

After you've written your statement, you're not done. The hardest part lies ahead: Dissemination and adoption. How do you get the statement out to workers, and how do you get them to live it?

Getting the word out and in front of workers all the time, making it part of the culture, is a challenge. It's also the part where companies have shown the greatest creativity.

Perhaps the most amusing tack comes from Southwest Airlines. They put their mission statement in boxes of Crackerjacks and gave them out to employees. When IBM introduced their Principles, they not only used their company publications but let managers know that the corporate office would foot the bill for copies to be produced and disseminated to hang in offices around the world. Merck uses a novel approach for dissemination of their Declaration of Intent. It's an actual declaration, signed by all 450 senior managers, framed and hung in all areas.

Wallet-sized cards seem to be a good choice for many companies including Goodyear, Kellogg's, Ritz-Carlton, Binney & Smith and Motorola. Many use two versions; one to carry and one to have in your desk or hanging on the wall. Motorola employees use the card for impromptu challenges and games.

Video presentations about the mission statement work well, too, especially when the CEO can't reach everyone personally. Delta uses a video presentation as does Gillette. For companies with many branches its the only way the CEO can 'visit' them all.

Honda of America teaches courses in the mission statement. United Parcel pays hourly workers to attend sessions on their own time about their mission statement.

Rule #5: Share the mission statement in as many creative ways as possible and in as many languages as necessary. Keep it in front of people constantly.

Of course, all of these tips are hollow unless the mission statement is really used. At many companies such as Intel and Boeing, all employees, including managers, are judged by how well they follow their mission statements. In many ways this is imminently fair. Everyone knows exactly what is expected of them.

The mission statement must continue to be relevant. At Gannett, upper management looks at the Game Plan every year to see if it needs updating in a business that changes rapidly. Arthur D. Little also continually checks its mission statement to make sure it still makes sense for them.

Many companies have short and long term goals in their mission statements. This forces them to visit the statement constantly to see how they're measuring up. Boston Beer, for example, has picked 2006 as its date for Samuel Adams to be ... the largest and most respected craft or imported beer in the United States... Other companies call for themselves to be the leader in an industry and this pledge also invites constant scrutiny of the mission statement.

Last, Rule #6: Rely on the mission statement for guidance. Challenge it continuously, and judge employees by how well they adhere to its tenets. Management must say it and live it.

Reading the mission statements and commentaries in Say It and Live It along with the tips presented here will help you to write your own mission statement and following your statement will help your company succeed.

We'd like to hear from you, and we welcome your comments and suggestions. We'd also like to see your mission statement. Please contact us: Larry Kahaner by email, regular mail at Box 1051, McLean, VA 22101, or by fax at 703-995-0622.

Copyright © 2010 Larry Kahaner