Many companies overlook the importance of having a mission statement in place. After all, what’s the point of spending countless hours trying to word a couple sentences together when you could be using that time to run a company? While creating a mission statement isn’t a prerequisite for running a successful company, studies have shown that they improve employee performance as well as customer response. This alone should be reason enough for executives to create a mission statement.

What Is a Mission Statement?

The mission statement is just what it sounds like — it’s a short, concise statement regarding the company’s goals and direction. They are typically 1-3 sentences long, revealing the company’s end goal. Mission statements are helpful to redirect employees back on track when they stray from the company’s core values.

Still confused about mission statements? Here’s an example to give you a better understanding on them. Starbucks, the world’s largest and most successful coffeehouse, has the following mission statement: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. It’s short, sweet and reveals the true nature of this highly successful company. They value each and every person who walks through their door by making their experience as pleasant as possible. Using this mission statement, Starbucks has grown into a phenomenal success with over 20,000 stores in 62 different countries.

Employees and Mission Statements

As previously stated, missions statements serve as a map, so to speak, for employees to gather their bearings. When an employee loses their direction, they can refer back to the mission statement to familiarize themselves with the company’s true goal and core values. On paper, a mission statement may only consist of a couple sentences, but the impact it has on employees is profound. By showing your employees the way to achieve the company’s goals, you’ll naturally boost their performance and efficiency.

Of course, a mission statement is all for nothing unless your employees know it. Once you’ve made the wise decision to create a mission statement, you’ll then need to spread the word to employees. You can have a meeting announcing the company’s new mission statement, and you can place banners, posters, fliers, etc. up on the walls describing the mission statement. The bottom line is that your employees need to know it like the back of their hand, so keep it in plain view for everyone to see.