How to formulate the mission of the company. How to write a company mission statement for a startup

Sometimes you even feel a little sorry for people who are scouring the Web for clear instructions on how to write a mission statement for a company.

Most articles of this kind are academic works that only confuse the reader.

To understand such materials, you have to try very hard.

Below we will try to explain as clearly as possible why and why the company needs a mission. Perhaps this instruction will not be so crammed with special terms, but you can figure it out.

Some basic information

If you do not beat around the bush, then the classic mission answers just one simple question:

Why was the company created?

Unfortunately, a company's mission is often confused with strategy, vision, and values. This is fundamentally wrong. Of course, no one forbids modernizing the mission by weaving part of the vision or strategy into it, but still, in the classical sense, it has clear limits that cannot be exceeded.

To avoid confusion, let's try to explain how the mission for the company differs from the vision, strategy, and so on.

Company's mission answers the question “Why are we created?”. Mission Example: We are dedicated to making the safest medicines for seniors.

Company Vision answers the question "Where do we see ourselves in the future?". Unlike a mission, a vision can change over time and not have a specific deadline. In fact, this is a dream, the desire of the company to become such and such in N years. An example of a company's vision: "We strive to become the largest supplier of medicines for pensioners in Russia."

Company strategy answers the question "How are we going to achieve our vision?" Strategy is a more complete decoding of the way to achieve the company's vision. Strategy example: We are going to become the largest supplier of medicines for pensioners in Russia. To do this, we will create our own scientific institute and order fast-payback equipment.”

Company values answer the question “What is important to us?”. An example of the company's values: "We strive to be open and positive, we never try to argue with customers, we appreciate their attention."

Let's dare to give a little advice: the ideal solution for the company would not be an attempt to cram all the points into a poor mission, but a point-by-point division. That is, first you give the company the desired mission, then the subtitle "Vision", then "Strategy" and "Values". And under each of them, respectively, a bit of meaningful text with specifics. So it will be clearer to both employees and readers.

Now that the short digression away from the topic is over, you can return to the rules for writing the company mission. As we have already found out, the classic mission answers the question “What are we created for?”.

The second question you have to answer is:

Why does a company need a mission at all?

Yes, yes, so radical. The fact is that not all organizations need a mission at all. Of course, even the Panties & Socks company, which rents a couple of pavilions on the market, has the right to write a full-fledged version.

Undoubtedly. And yet there will be no special use, since profit cannot be considered a full-fledged basis for writing a company mission.

This is more important only for those companies that have already reached some minimum socially significant level. In other words, companies from the level of "medium" and above. If you really want to, but there is nothing special to say yet, you can combine the mission and vision (dream).

The option is not ideal, but it is quite suitable for decorating the site and some internal corporate documents. In the end, the soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is bad.

How to write a company mission?

There is not a single clear rule that would say "The mission for a company or organization is written only this way and that, and whoever writes otherwise is a loser and a pest." Of course not. Everything is subjective. Below we give an example that will help you write a completely unique mission. Just remember that:

If your company's mission can be applied to any other organization, that's rubbish.

A good mission is always unique and specific. It cannot be limited to a bunch of empty phrases, the only purpose of which is to somehow fill the place. Specificity is important. No need for pearls like "We are always the best and for world peace."

Template for writing a company mission:

Answer 5 questions:

What does the company do?(produces children's bicycles)

Who is your customer?(mom, dad, grandma, grandpa)

What needs do we cover?(we make inexpensive, but high-quality and safe children's bicycles)

How do we help this world?(we make bicycles that parents are not afraid to give to their children)

Why do we consider ourselves successful?(because 30% of families have our bikes).

With these inputs, we can quickly create a very rough example of text. Let's say this:

We are proud that our products have become synonymous with safety and reliability. We exist in order for a young and strong generation to grow up in Russia, sincerely loving cycling.

As you noticed, not all items from the template were used. This is quite normal, the idea should not be too cumbersome. It is very important that the mission of the company is filled with your true aspirations and spirit, and not a bunch of random words.

It's time to talk about mission size. It is recommended to write missions with a volume of more than 4-7 sentences. If you look at the examples of Western firms, you will see that even world-class giants get by with one or a few proposals. Trying to create a company mission on several sheets is tantamount to teaching a first grader descriptive geometry. Do you want an effect? Write succinctly and to the point!

Mission Analysis

Below we have tried to identify the main criteria for analyzing the mission of the company, which will help us check whether it meets the requirements of GOST and common sense.

Availability of specifics. A mission consisting of "friendly teams", "flexible discounts" and "dynamic companies" has no right to a decent existence. Only specific and unique texts.

Ease of perception. Probably, words like "eschatological" and the like have every right to exist. We don't know. And yet, we do not recommend using them in the mission of the company. The text should be such that even a schoolboy can understand it. The same applies to sentences: no need to construct complex forms of 30-50 words.

Realistic picture. When reading a text, a person must believe what it says. Or at least allow the possibility of implementing what is written. Absolutely fantastic versions cause only laughter and bewilderment.

memorability. The mission for the company should be written so briefly and clearly that the reader will not forget it after 3 seconds.

Motivation. The mission should not only tell how wonderful you are, but also is designed to motivate staff. Ideally, if it is known to every employee of the organization. This is normal and even good. When a person has an understanding of the goal, it is always easier for him.

This concludes this short story on how to write a mission statement for a company.

Click on spoilers, see examples of missions of famous companies

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Construction companies. Examples

trading companies. Examples

Groups of companies. Examples

Insurance companies. Examples

The development of the company's mission is a fashionable trend that many follow simply because “competitors created it, but why are we worse?”. In reality, this is the ideological foundation for any business. If a business is created with the sole purpose of making money, then the chance of such a business for a long existence tends to zero.

And if an entrepreneur came up with a company to (God forgive me!) make the world a better place, then defining the mission of the company will not be so difficult. Before we talk about why a company needs a mission, let's define some terminology.

A company's mission is not the same as its vision, strategy, goals, and values.

These concepts are often confused, but in fact they mean very different things.
The mission of your company should answer the question of why the company was created, what is its ideological meaning, the philosophical message of its existence.
For example, Alfa-Bank formulates its mission as follows:

Company mission and values

The mission is the basic, fundamental point in the existence of the company. Values, on the other hand, are consistent with the mission and communicate what is important for the company, and in two directions at once: in relation to employees and in relation to customers. Here is what Leroy Merlin writes about itself about this:

Mission and vision of the company

The vision stems from the mission and values of the business and answers the question of what the company will be like in the future. This can be seen in the example of Samsung's mission and vision combined into one picture:

Mission and strategy of the company

A company's strategy communicates what will be done or is being done to achieve the company's mission. For example, Coca-Cola looks like this:

Mission and purpose of the company

A goal is what a company is striving for. The goal can also be called a business idea, as, for example, at IKEA:

The mission and values almost always remain the same, while the vision, strategy, and goal may change slightly or even change significantly over time.

So why do we need a company mission?

The absence of a mission calls into question the long-term existence of a business, just as the lack of ground under one's feet calls into question the ability to walk. But there are other points too:

A clearly defined mission will allow you to hire people with similar life principles, creating a more cohesive team.
If you correctly compose the mission of the organization, then it will be easier to build and implement a PR strategy. A company with deep values always commands respect in society.

When the question "why?" solved, you can move on to the next step and try to understand how to create a working mission in the company. Let's get specific.

1. Do not entrust the creation of the mission to subordinates. The head of the company should write the essence. Asking for help in finding better formulations is not prohibited, but the idea should be written to the creator of the case.

2. It is worth writing the mission of the company without mentioning the desire to make a profit. It is clear that any business is created for money, but here it is better to talk about something more important.

3. The mission must be unique. If it can be used for another company just by changing the name, work on how to formulate the mission of the company next.

4. What is written should be easy to understand. Try to keep sentences short and simple.

5. It is important not only how to write the mission of the company, but also how to formalize it. Make sure that everything is beautiful from the point of view of design.

Writing a company mission requires a clear understanding of why the company does what it does. When this does not happen, it turns out "porridge":

All these big words about “the best in the world” look very pretentious, but they do not tell anything in essence. If you write the mission of the organization in this way, then it only confuses and makes you wonder: does the company really see its mission so chaotically? Why then write about it at all?
And here is an example of how to write the mission of the organization and be on top. Coca Cola writes:

As you can see, there is no universal scenario for writing the organization's mission correctly. The key to success is understanding the basic principles on which everything else rests. Knowing them, you can easily figure out how to correctly formulate the mission of the company and use this “more than text” for the benefit of your organization.

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Carry out your mission with pride!

Mission is the reason for the existence of a particular business. In addition to making money, of course) Seriously, one-day companies and market leaders differ, among other things, in the presence of prescribed values and principles of work.

Of course, this is not the only success factor, but you must agree: a clear understanding by the founders of why they “muddied” this business at all and how they want to achieve their goals motivates them to go forward and saves them from rash decisions. You can say: “that’s all right, but what about a startup where there is only a product idea?”

Startups also need a mission. And the sooner it is done, the better. And even better - printed on paper and hung in a frame in the most prominent place.

In this article, you will see how to create a company mission using the American analytics service Baremetrics as an example, where everything is described - global values, attitude towards the team and customers.

Mission

The mission is like the North Star that guides you at night. This is not a temporary stage and not a goal, but a destination in a global sense.

The mission of Baremetrics is:

“To give companies an analytics tool that will help them grow. Implement, train and optimize all processes with minimal client involvement.”

Baremetrics founder Josh Pigford argues that the decision to do or not to do a new feature in a product is made through the prism of the question: “Will this help customers grow?” In relation to financial indicators, first of all (ARPU, MRR, etc.)

Values

These are things that allow you to complete the mission day after day. Common for each team member. From the Baremetrics program:

Think and make decisions like entrepreneurs;
Set limits to increase creativity. Specific terms of development or a clear financial plan for the month. It encourages you to think faster;
The highest level of quality. No, this is not perfectionism. Just do what you are doing as well as possible right now. Particular attention to detail - they decide the fate of the product as a whole.

Command

We create an environment of trust - each team member should know that they can ask for help at any time, and secondly, they should not be afraid of mistakes.
The right to vote - each team member can disagree with this or that idea. We do not reject, but listen carefully to the arguments.
Responsibility for the timing and results of decisions. Deadlines and commitments must be made consciously and strictly adhered to.
Focus on the result - no matter what was in the process. What matters is the end result.

Clients

Josh Pigford says, “Without customers, our company cannot exist. Nor can those for whom we work exist. We work for people. Not for abstract business, but for people. And if we didn’t do well to specific people, we didn’t do anything.”

Words that you can only subscribe to and never forget.

G. Ford defined the mission of the Ford company as providing people with cheap transportation. He well understood that the mission of the company should be focused on the consumer and primarily solve the problems of the consumer, and not the internal problems of the organization, such as ensuring profits, expanding the market, increasing sales, etc.

The mission of the famous company Eastman Kodak is: "Become the world leader in chemical and electronic imaging." Here we can see that the statement traces the company's main long-term goal of "becoming a global leader", but also specifies in which industry. At the same time, despite the fact that we know this company more as a manufacturer of photographic products, the company's management does not limit itself to only these products.

Matsushita Electric sees its mission as "contributing to a better quality of life by providing society with as cheap as water electrical appliances."

Considering this mission, we see that, on the one hand, it is quite specific, because:

the field of activity of the company is named - the production of electrical household appliances;

a global goal is drawn - improving the quality of life of society;

it is clear how the company is going to achieve its goal - supplying society with cheap electrical household appliances.

But at the same time

the aspiration of Matsushita Electric is formulated very broadly and implies the presence of a variety of projects leading to one global result;

the direction of development is also formulated broadly and gives greater freedom in choosing specific ways to achieve the goal.

The mission statement of Sun Banks, one of the largest financial institutions in the world, is a prime example of how the mission is the product of careful and serious study. Sun Banks' mission is to contribute to the economic development and well-being of the communities it serves by providing citizens and businesses with quality banking services in a manner and to the extent that is consistent with high professional and ethical standards, providing fair and appropriate returns to company shareholders, and fair relationship with company employees.

Another example of a successful (according to the author) mission is the mission of Reyter. It reads as follows: "Providing services to those who seek to improve the management system of their company is our only business, customer satisfaction is our main goal." In the statement of the mission, the company does not limit itself to a certain set of clients, but is ready to provide its services to all those who need it, with the maximum benefit for the consumer.

Despite the fact that Russian companies are just beginning to realize the importance of the mission for the functioning of organizations, many companies still have a mission statement. As an example, here are a few excerpts from the missions of Russian companies.

Corporation "Dovgan" - "protected quality, protected health".

The mission of the consulting center for management and marketing is to "promote the economic recovery of Russia and gain its rightful place in the world market through the development of Russian entrepreneurship."

The Radian company - "providing the region with modern engineering and technical means of protection of the world's leading companies, complex solutions that combine: security and fire alarms, video surveillance systems and access restrictions to premises, as well as air conditioning and lighting."

An example of a differentiating mission is Nokia's mission: "By connecting people, we help meet the fundamental human need for connection and social contact. Nokia builds bridges between people - whether they are apart or face to face - and helps people get the information they need." It would seem, which of the things listed in the mission of Nokia do not do other companies producing mobile communications? Motorola, Sony-Ericsson, LG, Panasonic and other players in this market offer absolutely the same.

For example, Forbes-listed Russian industrial company OAO Severstal uses its mission statement to communicate the company's key priorities and attitudes to employees and other stakeholder groups. As a result, if a company employee has a question about how to act in a given situation, whether it is worth looking for non-standard solutions or being content with long-accepted approaches to work, the mission provides answers to these questions.

In addition, being a large company with an extensive structure, OAO Severstal invests in infrastructure development in the regions where the company's production is located, which is reflected in its mission and values. Such investments not only contribute to the development of the business, but also positively influence the dedication of the company's employees - thus they have the opportunity to feel part of something important and more than just the production of steel products, which they do not even deal with in life.

Severstal's mission: "To be the best partner for all stakeholders: to create competitive advantages for our customers, to generate growing and reliable demand for suppliers, to guarantee an attractive income for shareholders and a decent level of remuneration for the company's employees, to help unlock the creative potential of employees. Most Significant and priority standards of behavior in the company are reflected in the strategic values of OAO Severstal: continuous improvement through unlocking the creative potential of employees, focus on results, team spirit, trust and honesty, willingness to accept a challenge, leadership, customer orientation, social responsibility."

Citibank Mission: We help people manage their money effectively.

EBay Mission: To provide a global marketplace where anyone can buy or sell almost anything.

Ford Motor Mission: We are a global family and proud of our heritage of providing personal freedom of movement for people around the world.

Mary Kay's mission: To enhance the lives of women around the world by providing quality products to customers, opening new horizons for independent beauty consultants and providing them with unlimited career opportunities, doing everything so that women who come into contact with Mary Kay can fulfill themselves.

focusing stakeholders on specific aspects of their strategy and specific products, customer groups, markets, geographies, or ways to achieve business goals. The narrow approach is especially actively used by companies that at one time were the first to introduce some kind of innovation to the market, since it is precisely this innovation that is their main competitive advantage and strategic guideline. Or, the mission is formulated narrowly, if the success of the company requires an absolutely clear understanding of every aspect of its activities.

Examples of a narrow mission statement include companies and organizations such as IBM, Polaroid, Starbucks, CIA, among others.

IBM Mission: We strive to be leaders in the invention, development and manufacture of the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, storage systems and microelectronics. We turn these technologies into value for our clients with professional solutions, service and consulting services around the world.

Polaroid's mission: To improve the instant photography and digital market to meet the growing need for people to capture the faces of friends and family, places that are dear to their hearts, and funny moments in life.

Starbucks Mission: To be the world's leading purveyor of the world's finest coffees while living up to our unwavering principles (a place of work that respects employees; cultural diversity; superior coffee standards; customer satisfaction; contribution to the local community; profitability) as the company grows.

CIA Mission: We are the eyes and ears of the nation, and sometimes its invisible hand. We achieve the mission in the following way:

Gathering only the necessary intelligence.

Providing up-to-date, objective and comprehensive analysis – on time.

By taking protective action against the President of the United States to prevent threats or to further US political goals.