Deepdive #3
Mission Statement
A guide to defining the ‘Why, How and What’ of your company
A winning culture is always mission-led
That’s why it’s essential to define the mission first, before developing the Cultural DNA and Manifest. The Mission Statement is the core and foundation of a culture that provides direction and connects team members around a shared mission, bringing strategic goals within reach. It not only provides focus and clarity but also makes your strategy easy to retell and inspiring.
What is wrong with 99% of strategy documents
This is where things often go wrong. Many strategies are complex, heavily substantiated, and difficult to understand. The result? If you ask 10 people on your team “What is our strategy?”, you’ll get 10 different answers. A strategy that no one understands can never truly provide direction or gain traction.
A strong strategy therefore starts with a Mission Statement: a concise, inspiring text that summarizes the why, what, and how of your organization. It creates focus, provides clear direction, and makes your strategy both easy to understand and to retell.
Mission Statement as a compass
A well-developed Mission Statement is more than just a formal text. It provides guidance and direction for every decision and action within the organization, acting as a compass for day-to-day operations and long-term strategy. Culture and strategy only truly come to life through a shared understanding of the why. Being able to retell this mission is critical—when people understand and can share the mission, your strategy is embraced throughout the organization.
This goes beyond business goals: an inspiring Mission Statement fuels engagement, motivation, and collaboration because team members can connect with the purpose and meaning of their work. Without a clear mission, your culture becomes a tool without direction, and your strategy remains a document that collects dust.
Part 1: How to Build a strong Mission Statement
Clarity is the foundation of every successful collaboration. Above all, your Mission Statement is a communication tool designed to bring clarity. An effective Mission Statement is not a detailed plan, but rather a short, powerful statement that clearly outlines the organization’s ambitions and its path to future success. It invites people to actively contribute to the shared ambition.
A well-crafted Mission Statement ensures that everyone can retell the story—and actively contribute to the success of the organization. Strategy gains strength through clear communication, ensuring that everyone understands where you’re heading and how they can contribute to it.
The challenge is to clearly convey what the company aims to be in a compact way while also infusing this ambition with the underlying conviction that drives the business, what it concretely offers the market, and the distinctive qualities that set it apart from competitors.
In short: it’s a dance between brevity and completeness. Using a clear structure helps you strike that balance. The Why/How/What framework is a proven approach that pushes you to provide concrete answers on all levels of a compelling Mission Statement.
The Why
The ‘Why’ describes the deeper motivations of the organization and addresses the specific need, problem, or opportunity the company is responding to. Why does the company exist? Why is its contribution necessary? By centering the ‘Why’, the organization creates meaning that goes beyond commercial goals and instead radiates social value, inspiring both employees and customers
The How
The ‘How’ describes how the organization achieves its goals. This includes the unique capabilities, methods, or approaches that distinguish the company from its competitors. Often, the company’s strength lies here: by focusing on how the company creates value, it becomes clear what makes it truly unique and why customers and employees choose this company.
The What
The ‘What’ is the most tangible element. This part describes exactly what the company does, what it offers, and who its target audience is. It provides direction and makes the mission understandable to everyone, both inside and outside the company. While the Why and How often focus on vision and differentiation, the What makes it possible to translate all of this into specific actions and goals.
Part 2: How to Approach Formulating Your Mission Statement
Reaching a strong, widely supported Mission Statement requires a solid approach. In addition to using the Why/How/What structure, there are several other factors that can help in this process.
#1: External Guidance
An outsider can often help teams who are deeply immersed in a specific subject reach the core more quickly. They can prevent the overuse of technical jargon by using plain language and, as an external party, can often easily identify what is unique or distinctive about a company.
#2: Focus
Formulating clearly and concisely takes time and focus. Especially when the management team consists of different members who need to be involved in the wording, it is essential to create moments where time and genuine attention are dedicated to fine-tuning the word choice together.
#3: Preparation
In smaller companies, there is often a one leader/founder/owner. In such cases, it is up to that person to ensure there is a clear mission statement that provides the rest of the team with a clear direction. However, in most companies, there is a leadership team that collectively owns the strategic direction of the business. It is crucial to prepare thoroughly with this team when formulating the Mission Statement.
Preparation for the Mission Statement
To effectively prepare for the joint process of writing the Mission Statement, it is helpful for individual leaders to clarify their thoughts on the following aspects before the group sessions:
- Personal Motivation: What personally drives you in leading the organization? What inspires you?
- Team Motivation: What motivates employees the most in their work within the company?
- Unique Strengths: What sets the organization apart in terms of approach and capabilities from its competitors?
- Ideal Customer: Who is the perfect customer, and why do they align best with the organization?
- Future Vision: What will the organization look like in three to five years in terms of expertise, customers, and growth?
- Challenges: What are the biggest obstacles to realizing this vision?
- Required Development: What skills and capabilities need to be developed to achieve the objectives?
Deel 3: A few inspiring examples of Mission Statements
Fortunately, there is a wide range of examples of concise mission statements that you can use for inspiration. It’s tempting to look at major players in a specific industry relevant to your business. For this, check out this resource that lists a variety of Mission Statements from leading companies, categorized by industry.
However, it’s often even more helpful not to focus on your own industry but to examine the Mission Statements of companies in other industries that share a similar cultural strategy and archetype.
Here are a few Mission Statements, along with their Why, How, and What, from well-known organizations often cited as examples of common cultural archetypes.
ARCHETYPE #1
NETFLIX - Achievement Culture
MISSION STATEMENT:
To entertain the world
Why: We believe that great storytelling has the power to connect people across cultures and create shared experiences.
How: By combining advanced data-driven personalization, global content investment, and a distinctive high-performance culture that attracts the best talent out there and encourages accountability.
What: We provide a streaming service that delivers a wide array of movies, series, documentaries, and original content tailored to the preferences of our global audience.
ARCHETYPE #2
ZAPPOS - The Consumer Centric Culture
MISSION STATEMENT:
To live and deliver WOW
Why: We believe that a company can generate happiness for people and inspire them through its core values.
How: By prioritizing an extraordinary level of customer service, a people-centered company culture, and a values-based hiring process we can create a deep sense of loyalty and identity, both for employees and customers.
What: We sell shoes, clothing, accessories, and other products online, differentiated by the outstanding, memorable experience we create for our customers.
ARCHETYPE #3
SPACEX - The Innovation Culture
MISSION STATEMENT:
Mike life multiplanetary
Why: To address existential risks to humanity and expand human potential through space exploration and colonization.
How: By designing, testing, and launching rockets with the most advanced technology and innovative cost-saving methods through integrated, in-house production and an innovation-focused culture that embraces rapid prototyping, rigorous testing, and acceptance of high-risk projects.
What: SpaceX provides a range of space services, including commercial satellite launches, cargo and crew missions for NASA, and satellite-based internet via Starlink.
ARCHETYPE #4
MICROSOFT - The One Team Culture
MISSION STATEMENT:
To empower every person and every organization to achieve more
Why: We believe that accessible, intuitive, and transformative technology can enable solutions that enhance lives, boost productivity, and enable people to make meaningful contributions.
How: By focusing on user-centered innovation, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a collaborative approach across teams and divisions we can build cohesive, powerful solutions.
What: We deliver a broad portfolio of software, hardware, and cloud services that help consumers, businesses, and developers improve productivity, connect people, and power organizations’ digital transformation.
ARCHETYPE #4
PATAGONIA - The GREATER GOOD CULTURE
MISSION STATEMENT:
We’re business to save our home planet
Why: We believe our success as a business should not come at the cost of the environment; rather, it should contribute to its preservation.
How: By integrating environmental ethics into every part of our business -from product design to corporate activism- and by setting environmental and transparency benchmarks for other companies to follow.
What: We produce outdoor apparel, gear, and accessories designed for durability and environmental minimalism, while promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility.
WRAPPING UP
A Mission Statement doesn’t just set direction; it creates meaning and strength within an organization.
A Mission Statement is not just a declaration; it is the foundation of your organization. It inspires, connects, and provides direction. By investing in a Mission Statement that clearly reflects the organization’s drivers, values, and goals, a foundation is laid for a culture that supports growth, engagement, and success. A strong mission makes it possible to build a forward-looking culture in which everyone feels connected to the shared goal and proud of their contribution to the organization’s vision.