Mission Statements and Purpose

Jim Logan, over at BizInformer, poses the often-asked question: "Does Your Mission Statement Mean Anything to Anyone?"

His assessment:

"The problem with mission statements is they are overwhelmingly meaningless outcomes of multi-day offsite meetings....Once read at an all hands meeting, the company or organization can go back to whatever they were doing."

His suggestions:

• Why don’t all companies define themselves and their organizations by the value and benefits they offer their customers?
• Why not have a mission statement that means something to customers and guides employees as to their greatest objective?
• Could your mission statement be used to actually grow your business?

BOTTOMLINE: A company's mission explains why an organization exists and what its purpose is. The most important attribute of purpose is authenticity. Purpose has to be something that comes from within - not based on what looks good to others.