When helping practitioners and therapists in their own practice write a mission statement I’m often asked why do I need one?

Big corporations, small business, entrepreneurs and non profits all use mission statements and the key principal is the same. It should help you run your business.

I’ve read a lot of mission statements that don’t say a thing. You can tell a lot of work has been put into writing
them, but in the end, you aren’t sure what the company stands for.

The point is it must be useful for you, not as a showcase for someone else. It should remind you what your purpose is, and to help you stay on track.

If or maybe when I’m likely to stray, the statement will helps remind us what our first responsibility is.

Missions statements are great to use as a business tool, and they are used for you, the practitioner or business owner to give you direction. Think of it as a lifetime goal and vision for your company.

Why is this important? It is so easy to get off track, try new things, scatter in different directions that we can use our mission as a compass to keep us focused.Here’s the seven step to writing your Mission Statement:

1. It should include the Purpose of the Company. Write down everything you’d like to accomplish in your business. Find the theme that is most important to you. Is it Service or Helping others? Training? Educating? Health or Stress Relief? Once you find the theme, include it in your mission statement.

2. What is your Vision for your company? Where do you see yourself headed?

3. What are your Core values? Examples could be Empowerment, Expectational Customer Service, Recycling, Peace, Equality, Community. Add your values to your statement

4. Include your Core Competency. If you are best at training, include it. Is your expertise one on one hands one with clients? Use that.

5. Don’t toot your own horn by saying how great your services are, or that you provide something better than everyone else. Be more specific about how you will do great things.

6. Who is your core customer or client? Who is your target audience? Women in their 50’s? Children? Disabled Vets? Include it.

7. Edit it and pare it down. Edit again.

A good Mission Statement can be short and sweet:

• The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus -To provide boys in the community an enriched educational experience through the study and performance of choral music.

• 3M – To solve unsolved problems innovatively”

• Merck – To preserve and improve human life.”

• Walt Disney – To make people happy.

• Mary Kay Cosmetics – To give unlimited opportunity to women.”

Monk at Work says it best in his Wabi-Sabi post

Your purpose is most often simpler than you might think. It’s like a mission statement — the longer and more loquacious they are, the less they’re probably saying.

Franklin Covey has a Wizard to help you create a personal Mission Statement.

Now it’s time for me to go work on mine.