How Do You Write A Mission Statement?
• Brainstorm. Ask every member of the organization to answer the following questions, listing any words, phrases or ideas that come to mind without criticizing or commenting at this level:[1] • What are the opportunities or needs that we exist to address? – This defines the purpose of the organization. • What are we doing to address those needs? – This defines the business activity. • What principles or beliefs guide our work? – This defines the core values to guide decisions. • Consolidate. Look for patterns in their answers. Don’t edit, just study and observe. You want to pick out phrases and words that speak to many different people in the organization, and figure out when people are saying the same thing in different ways (e.g. “finding creative solutions”, “being innovative”, “thinking outside the box” are all similar ways to say the same thing) and begin to think about ultimately choosing one such expression. [2] • Set aside several hours or a full day to work on the statement. G
