Simple Reason Why Mission Statements Fail

• What gets you out of bed in the morning?
• Do you wake up when the sun rises?
• Or Is it because you already know your kids are awake?

I don’t know what got you out of bed this morning, but I do know that it probably wasn’t your company’s mission statement. There’s a good chance you don’t even remember the mission statement itself, but an even better chance it doesn’t inspire you to jump out of bed and head to work.

Purpose of Mission Statements

The purpose of a mission statement was noble. It was to provide employees with that clear purpose. It was to help become a purpose-driven organization. As we know from the research, purpose-driven companies have more motivated employees; they have an easier time recruiting top talent, and they drive that top talent to great performance. 

We know that they have less turnover and greater profitability, not just because they’re performing better but because customers respond to purpose-driven organizations. We know purpose-driven companies have lower customer acquisition costs, longer customer loyalty tenure, and higher net promoter scores.

We know that everything works better in a purpose-driven organization.

But mission statements aren’t really providing that purpose. It may have started out with that intent, but somehow, the mission statement turned into this meaningless word salad better suited for a 10-K report than a plaque at the company entrance. 

It’s hardly a flag worth rallying around. In many cases, a mission statement is something that employees can’t even recite, much less know what all those different buzzwords actually mean.

Consider a few examples:

“The company’s primary objective is to maximize long-term shareholder value while adhering to the laws of the jurisdictions in which it operates and at all times observing the highest ethical standard.”

You probably got bored right at the phase of “long-term shareholder value.” That’s it? That’s all we are working for? The rest of the mission statement basically says not to get in trouble with the government or the media. There’s nothing here about why the company exists, what it even sells, or what service it even offers. 

There’s none of that. And this is a Fortune 500 company we won’t name for various legal reasons.

Or how about this one:

“Undisputed marketplace leadership.”

Undisputed, okay, how are we defining the marketplace? 

• Is it for the industry?
• Is it market share of products?
• Does that include substitutes?
• How are we defining leadership?
• Is it a plurality—just the largest market share?
• Or is it a majority—50 percent plus one?

This is the kind of mission statement that probably sounded good among leaders. They got excited and brought it back to the rank-and-file who promptly responded with confusion.

Consider one more:

“We will continue to build a corporate culture that respects and values the unique strengths and cultural differences of our associates.”

There are parts of this one that are admirable. It’s great to be focused on company culture and respecting cultural differences and the strengths that employees provide. But at the same time, those employees still need a clear idea of what they do and why they do it. Otherwise, how are they supposed to be motivated by this?

Where We Went Wrong?

So, how did mission statements turn into this Mad Lib of buzzwords and craziness?

Well, in a lot of cases it’s not actually the goal of any leader to have a terrible mission statement; it’s the process that they used to write one. Many companies get their mission statement via something like a focus group, maybe a retreat with senior leaders, or maybe a series of meetings from a cross-section of people across the company. 

From there, they drafted a quick statement of “what we do” and began to brainstorm different ways to phrase it.

But as soon as they present that draft, people become parliamentarians lobbying for their respective interests. As soon as the first attempt is on the whiteboard, people start to act like college English professors debating the connotations of certain words and encouraging people to adopt their preferred word choice.

Eventually, usually, when people get tired, everyone starts to compromise for the sake of consensus, and they arrive at a statement everyone agrees on…or at least everyone agrees is good enough. Then they take that statement, get it engraved on a plaque, and hang it in the entry to the home office.

Then, everybody promptly forgets about it.

We end up with a failed mission statement. Not because we didn’t put enough thought into answering the question. But because we didn’t ask the right question to begin with. (And we’ll cover that question in a moment.)

What Makes A Mission Statement That Works

First, it’s worth examining what we need a mission statement to do. At its core, it needs to do three things for the people who read it—especially for the employees of the organization.

It needs to unify.

It needs to give an aspiration that is so big that it requires interdependence, and as a result, we put aside our petty differences—what the research would call a superordinate goal. It needs to be so big that we squelch the silos, the politics, the turf wars, and we say, “If we don’t get this done, the world will be a worse off place, so let’s get together and let’s work together for it.”

It needs to be direct.

It should clearly and concisely let everybody know what good looks like or what “mission accomplished” looks like. To use a term from two of my favorite authors, Chip and Dan Heath, it should pass the “champagne test.” When we read it, we know instantly when it’s time to pop open that bottle of champagne (or sparkling grape juice if you’re so inclined).

It needs to motivate.

It should make clear what the stakes are, the costs of failure, and how the world will be worse off if we don’t achieve the mission. It should also make clear who and how many people will benefit if we win—and more than just the shareholders need to benefit.

When you look at the organizations, the revolutions, or the reformations that truly impacted the world, these three things are what their rallying cries had in common.

They were so big that they couldn’t help but unify.

They were so clear in what it was they were working towards that everyone knew what to do.

They were motivating and inspiring because they drew out of people some larger vision that was worth working towards or worth working for.

Does your mission statement do that?

Does it unify, direct, and inspire?

There’s an easy way to know. We covered earlier the importance of the right question. The best way to know if we have a mission statement that unifies, motivates, and inspires is to consider if our mission statement answers a simple question:

What are we fighting for?

If we can give employees a clear and concise answer to the question, “What are we fighting for?” then we’ve given them an inspirational purpose that unifies them, motivates them, and provides clear direction. We’ll know that we’ve achieved it when we’re not fighting anymore.

It works because people don’t want to join a company. They want to join a crusade.

If you give them a clear and concise answer to the question, “What are we fighting for?” then you’ve declared that crusade. You’ve given them a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

The Role of Leadership in the Success of Mission Statement

A mission statement only goes so far if the leadership is not committed to it. It is important, but leadership or management has a major role to play to ensure it’s not just a statement on the wall.

Communicate the Mission Consistently

Effective leaders reinforce the mission statement through words, actions, and decisions.

They integrate the mission statement into company communications, board meetings, marketing pitches, and campaigns. You must keep your messaging consistent so your mission statement is at the forefront of your audiences’ and employees’ minds.

Align Actions with the Mission

All leaders need to show that it’s more than words, so the statement must be reflected in their decisions. It should drive a change in the organization’s culture and decision-making process.

Holding Teams Accountable

The leaders also need to embed it in the employees’ KPIs and hold their teams accountable for aligning their actions with them. This means more discussions and brainstorming sessions should be conducted to see how different departments can contribute to making it part of their processes and decisions.

Steps to Revise / Reinvent a Mission Statement

Another important aspect is that the organization’s mission statement loses its relevance over time. That is because technology continues to evolve, and trends may change, making it obsolete. 

So, when your mission statement doesn’t resonate with the market, it is time to revise it. Here’s how you can do that:

Engage Employees

The first thing to do is to revise the statement by taking input from employees at all levels. The mission should showcase their values and aspirations. 

Conduct focus group sessions where employees can voice out their opinions. They can state what they believe the company stands for and whatever inspires them.

Try to engage employees in the entire process so they feel the mission statement resonates with them and that they feel a sense of ownership over it.

Focus on Clarity and Purpose

My next thing to do is to look for clarity. The mission statement should be easy to read without jargon or buzzwords.

It should express the company’s purpose and what it stands for. As we discussed, it should inspire action and answer the question, “What are we fighting for?”

Test the Statement

Once you have created the new mission statement, put it to the test. Share it with a group of employees, customers, and other stakeholders.

Take their feedback to see if it resonates with them or if there is any confusion. If there is, revisit the statement and revise it to incorporate the feedback so it’s easier to understand.

Embed the Statement

Once you have finalized the statement, it’s time to implement it in your organization. It should now become a part of daily operations; all leaders should regularly reference it in their communication training and decision-making process. 

Wrap Up

A mission statement is much more than a catchy slogan for your company. It’s the backbone that drives decision-making and unites employees and customers under one banner.

Mission statement is very important for the long-term success of the organization.

Make a clear, concise, and action-driven statement that your employees connect with and consistently reinforce in your company’s message and actions.