A mission statement tells your team what they do, who they serve, and why it matters. Use this template: We ___ for ___ so that ___. Without it, people lack motivation and don't understand their daily contribution.
So why is a mission statement important for you and your organization as an effective leader? Well, if you've heard me speak at a conference or if I work with your group at a training of any kind, you've probably heard me say, "If people don't know why they're there, they won't do as much while they're there." And that is absolutely true regardless of industry. The issue is that sometimes leaders don't know the difference between a mission or a vision. A vision is what you want to make sure you're striving to accomplish in a few years. What is that idealistic reality in the future that you're striving toward? But mission is about what your people are going to do every single day. What are they actually helping to contribute to by their efforts that day? And the easiest way to come up with a great mission statement is to finish this template: We blank for blank so that blank. You can clearly state what it is you do, for who you do it, and what is the benefit or outcome that you're providing, then your people are going to have a little bit better sense of why they're there.
