FREE The Importance of Having a Mission Statement [ 18+ Samples ]

Have you ever been asked about what is your mission in life? If you have already determined your mission in life, then this question would be something of the ordinary. But if you have not thought about it ever in your entire existence, then this question may leave you speechless. A mission is what an individual’s ambition or calling in life is. It does not only apply to people but it is also being used by a lot of different institutions in the form of a mission statement.

A mission statement is a brief statement that tells about the purpose of an institution and the scope of its operations. A mission statement usually comes with two other statements, namely the company’s vision and its goals. The things that are included in a mission statement is the kind of service or product that the institution offers, their target market, and the places or location where they operate.

Mission Statement Sample

A mission statement serves its own purpose and importance within the institution. Careful thought and planning need to be done in creating one. This is to ensure that the mission statement will reflect the company’s ambitions and goals, as well as express the desires and intent of the company leaders.

Restaurant Mission Statement Template

In this article, you will find 10+ mission statement examples from different institutions or organizations to help you and guide you on how you can create that effective mission statement. These sample mission statements are in PDF and they are available for free download online. So go ahead and start checking out the samples below.

Crafting Your Personal Mission Statement

Developing Vision and Mission Statements

Mission Statement Sample

How to Write a Mission Statement

What Is the Difference between a Mission and a Vision?

We often hear the words vision and mission used together to a point where some people would think that they mean the same thing. They are actually not the same. A mission is a statement that provides the purpose of a company or organization. A mission statement is used as a guide for all of the decisions that the company has to make. These decisions should be in line with the company’s statement and best interest.

A vision statement, on the other hand, is a statement of the direction and perspective of the company for a long period of time. This is the reason why it should not be confused or treated as something similar to a mission statement. Vision statements should be able to inspire the employees who are working within the company and should give them a sense of purpose.

Vision and Mission Statements Examples and Templates

Mission Statement Examples

What Is the Purpose of a Vision and Mission Statement?

• To provide the company with the goals that they can track and achieve within the entirety of their operations.
• To assure that there is a strong foundation that the business can look into in terms of providing the needs of its stakeholders.
• To identify the growth and development of the business in varying years or particular time duration by looking back at the vision that they have initially set.
• Vision and mission statements are part of the branding of the company as it allows the organization to have statements that reflect the nature of their processes and where they aspire to be at.

Sample Mission Statements

Company Mission Statement Examples

Writing a Personal Mission Statement

Why Is It Important for an Institution to Have a Mission Statement?

Mission statements are not just created for the purpose of having a mission statement. It is deemed important for some reasons. Here are the reasons why even small businesses or companies should have a mission statement.

• A mission statement reminds all of the members of the company the very reason for its existence and what made the company successful.
• A mission statement tells us that the things we do today will be the one to take us where we want to go.
• A company with a mission statement provides a basis for alignment. This means that new employees will be able to know what the company does, as well as the direction they are heading to with regard to the nature of their business.
• Although a mission statement is used for long periods of time by most companies, it is not something absolute and it can be changed as the need arises.
• Helps a company or a business in shaping their strategy for the betterment of the company.
• Having a clear mission statement can rid off any ambiguities that surround a certain business or company.
• It can serve as a motivational tool to inspire employees to work even harder for their growth and development within the business or company. This, in turn, contributes to the company’s progress.
• Another purpose of having a mission statement is so that evaluation and improvement can be facilitated. It all boils down to a mission statement being the basis of all the decision-making that is decided by the business or company.

With all of the above purpose, I sure hope you get the value of a mission statement, whether in a company or business.

Sample Wellness Committee Mission Statements

Sample Mission Statements

Writing a Mission Statement

Examples of the Mission Statements from Known Brands or Businesses

Starbucks

• To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time

J.CO

• To provide premium quality donuts and coffee
• To encourage people to attain their dreams
• To put customers as our first priority
• To commit ourselves to giving excellent service sincerely
• To make a difference in our community
• To provide perfect locations for hanging out
• To treat each other with respect and dignity

Nike

• To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.

McDonald’s

• McDonald’s brand mission is to be our customers’ favorite place and way to eat and drink. Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win, which centers on an exceptional customer experience—People, Products, Place, Price, and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers’ experience.

Coca Cola

• To refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference.

FedEx

• FedEx Corporation will produce superior financial returns for its shareowners by providing high value-added logistics, transportation, and related business services through focused operating companies. Customer requirements will be met in the highest quality manner appropriate to each market segment served. FedEx will strive to develop mutually rewarding relationships with its team members, partners, and suppliers. Safety will be the first consideration in all operations. Corporate activities will be conducted to the highest ethical and professional standards.

Do you find purpose in the mission statement examples above? Do you think they make sense? These brands have been around for some time and their business just keeps getting better. What helped them get to where they are? It’s their mission statement.

Example Mission Statements

Sample Vision and Mission Statements

Tips for an Effective Mission Statement

Now that you have seen and read some of our sample mission statements, it’s about time that we teach you how to make your own effective mission statement. So stick around, check out the rest of the sample, and read the tips we have provided below.

• Your mission statement should be a summary of what your company wants to aim in the long run and what they want to do along the way.
• Make sure that you write your mission statement in a clear and concise manner, just like what you should do when writing business letters, so as to avoid confusion and misinterpretation.
• Write your mission statement in a way that it tells about the priorities of your company or business.
• Using simple and understandable words would be advantageous when writing mission statements as not all people care about fancy vocabulary. Using difficult words may only lead the readers to misunderstand it or, worse, not understand it at all.
• In your mission statement, you should include the four elements so that you can create an effective one. The four elements are value, inspiration, plausibility, and specificity. You should be able to provide the value of your company or the reason for its existence. It should serve as an inspiration to your employees. It should be reasonable and plausible. It should also be specific and relevant.
• Your mission statement should be short and detailed as much as possible. You don’t want to write one that is as long as a novel because nobody will absolutely care to read it.
• Ask questions starting from the employees up to the highest ranking officials within the company. This will help you write the right words in order for you to build an effective mission statement. Remember that a mission statement needs to be brainstormed by a lot of people.
• Check out sample mission statements online to help you with writing or starting your own. Find inspiration from these samples and incorporate the relevant ones to your own. You may also find other examples of statements useful.
• Write your mission statement in the present form instead of in the future form. It should say something about your company now rather than what you want your company to become in the future.
• Change or update your mission statement if you need to. It should not be something that is written once. Revise it as many times as you want as long as it reflects the company’s goals.
• Put your mission statement to the test. If it works, then it’s good. If you feel that something’s amiss, or something’s missing or it’s just not right, then go ahead and revise it. It won’t hurt you to make revisions. The good thing about mission statements is that it is open to change.

We hope that helped. Try to explore and get ideas from the Internet or in the samples that we have gathered and included in this article. We guarantee that you will be able to find something that will fit you.

Mission and Vision Statements Examples

Examples of Mission and Vision Statements

Parish Sample Mission Statement

Advantages and Disadvantages of Having a Mission Statement

There will always be the good and the bad side of things, and mission statements are no exception. What? You think they are all about the good stuff? Well, they are not. To tell you more about them, here are the advantages and disadvantages of having a mission statement.

Advantages

• The basic goals of a company or business are being provided in a mission statement to give its readers or clients an idea of what the business is all about and its goals.
• Having a mission statement directs the business or company into the right path because it is used as a basis for the business to make decisions. It might cause struggles and problems if a business does not have a mission statement to guide them on what they must do when making big decisions.
• By having a clearly stated mission statement, a business or company can state their business plans for the knowledge of potential stakeholders and the public alike.
• Potential business partners will be able to know what the company is doing and how they will be doing with the help of a clearly written mission statement. This is helpful in removing any doubts that a potential stakeholder has for the said company.
• A mission statement guides the company on the services and products that the company or business offers, which also includes the policies that they follow.
• A mission statement gets rid of any confusion or ambiguity that surrounds a business or company.
• An effective mission statement defines the relationship between the business and its clients. Through the mission statement, a business can provide reasons on how they are different from their competitors and what makes them better among the rest.
• It acts as a form of advertisement. A mission statement that is written in a simple but friendly way will definitely encourage its readers or clients to check out the said company, or its products and services. If it is effective or is in line with the values of the potential clients, then this mission statement will definitely increase the business or company’s total sales.

Now that you know some of the advantages of having a mission statement, let’s go and take a look at some of its disadvantages.

Disadvantages

• While a clearly stated mission statement can rid a company or business from any confusion, it may take time before an effective one is created. A lot of testing, trials, and revisions are needed in order to be able to come up with an effective one.
• If a mission statement is too broad, it cannot provide any direction or inspiration to the employees of the said company or business.
• A mission statement may seem unrealistic or may seem too optimistic. Because of unrealistic goals, the employees working within the company might not be able to meet the standards, which in turn lowers their morale and demotivate them.
• Unrealistic mission statements do not help a company or business in accomplishing anything. Instead, it will only waste precious management time.
• As a basis for a business or company’s decision-making, unrealistic mission statements may lead the company or business to make poor decisions, thus putting the company or business in potential trouble or harm.
• It takes a lot of time to be able to come up with an effective and beneficial mission statement. A couple of revisions and testing is needed to be able to achieve this. That is why the making of a mission statement is also considered a waste of time and resources, especially in cases where a mission statement doesn’t work is found to be ineffective.
• Some mission statements are written with a lot of meaningless words that end up getting criticized because it gives the employees little idea of their goals or what they are aiming for.
• Like one of our tips mentioned above, a mission statement should be written in the present form and not in the past or future tense. This defeats the purpose of having a mission statement, thus it will not be one that is effective.
• A mission statement may be useful, but some managers still tend to ignore it and end up making decisions that are not based on the mission and goals that the company aims to achieve.
• Although importance is given to a mission statement, there are some businesses or companies that may just be using or creating one for the sake of promoting public relations. They don’t really have these goals and intentions, but it makes them look good in the eyes of the public, that is why they have it.