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Many companies don’t understand what a mission statement is. If your mission statement doesn’t clarify what your company does, how they do it, and why, then your statement is much more likely a vision statement or a slogan. American Standard Company’s mission statement says that they strive to “be the best in the eyes of our customers, employees, and shareholders.” While that’s a good thing for a company to do, this is more of a goal – which makes their mission statement a vision statement instead. So how do you write a powerful mission statement that represents your company?

Make Sure Your Statement Makes Sense for Your Company

Mission statements should capture the personality of your company in a few short words. If you’re not a creative business, you don’t need a creative mission statement. However, a company like Ben and Jerry’s loves to make new flavors and has a whimsical reputation, so their mission statement is perfect: “To make, distribute & sell the finest quality all natural ice cream & euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment.”

Don’t Settle for Less than Perfection

Did you just write your mission statement and leave it at that? You should continually push yourself to write a better mission statement until it is absolutely perfect. That means coming up with a statement and then editing it many times. Then, hand it to someone who knows how to build sentences and use punctuation and grammar to really kick your statement up a notch. The finished product should roll off the tongue and feel like a work of art.

Inspire Employees

Though a mission statement doesn’t really have to inspire the public, it has to inspire employees and other people who work for your company. The best mission statements tend to inspire both sides – the employees and the public – but they don’t necessarily have to. Go with a statement that uses uplifting words and makes your employees feel like their work is important in the grand scheme of things. You’ll find success when you head down that path.