How to Write and Implement Workplace Mission Statements

I’ve written about mission statements in general. This follow-up piece describes how to write these statements so your agency can be successful.

First, allow time to create a mission statement. Writing the actual mission statement may take between one to four hours. Review and finalization may take days to weeks.

Do you think that mission statements can be written on an ad-hoc basis? Do you think that your office can just make up a mission statement when it needs one? If you have those thoughts, you are incorrect.

When beginning to write or revise your agency’s mission statement, first see if your government has a manual on writing mission statements. If so, follow its guidelines.

Even if you lead your agency or are among top leadership, you should not unilaterally draft the mission statement. No one should be the sole person writing it. However, it may be helpful for one person or a few people to draft an initial mission statement that others review.

You should also take mission statements seriously. Do not assign staff to write a mission statement when you need one and then develop another mission statement the next time that you need one.

Think about the structure of mission statements. Your agency’s mission statement can take the following structure: “The mission of [the name of your agency] is to [your agency’s main work] by [your agency’s main actions] to [your agency’s audience].” Your agency’s mission statement does not need to follow such a formal outline, however. It conceivably can take the lead of Bonusly, whose more general mission statement is “We help people connect with their work and each other in meaningful ways.”

To prepare to do this work, think about your workplace and its main purpose and goals. You can ask the following questions to guide your effort:

• What is your office’s purpose?
• What work does your office do?
• How does your office know when it is successful?
• Who are the main audiences for your office’s work?
• How is your office different from others?
• How can you briefly define the essence of your office and its work?
• Without jargon, how do you describe your office and its work so that a broad audience would understand?

The steps of writing a mission statement are:

• Form a group to write the actual statement. The group may include top leadership and staff.
• Discuss your agency and its work.
• Write the mission statement.
• Review the statement. Ensure that it is clear, short, and memorable. Make sure that it states your agency’s purpose, work, and stakeholders and reflects your agency’s values. If your organization is a part of a larger agency, ensure that the mission statement supports the overall department.
• Make any necessary changes.
• Share the draft mission statement with some employees and others, and ask them for their feedback.
• Make any necessary revisions.
• Finalize the mission statement.

Writing the mission statement is not a one-off and not the end of the process. The mission statement should be used and refined as needed. To implement the mission statement:

• Inform all employees of the mission statement, and make sure they understand it.
• Post the mission statement on your agency’s website, annual reports, and other publications.
• Use the mission statement to guide current and future work, and use it when you are asked for a mission statement.
• Periodically, review and reassess the mission statement. A good time to review and possibly modify the mission statements is at annual retreats, if your workplace has one.

Take the writing of the mission statement seriously. Then, use and reassess it to optimize the chances of success.

Miriam Edelman, MPA, MSSW, is a Washington, D.C.-based policy professional. Her experience includes policy work for Congress. Miriam’s undergraduate degree is from Barnard College, Columbia University, with majors in political science and urban studies. She has a master’s in public administration from Cornell University, where she was inducted into the national honorary society for public administration. She has a master’s of science in social work (focusing on policy) from Columbia University. She is a commissioner of the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Miriam aims to continue her career in public service. She is especially interested in democracy, civic education, District of Columbia autonomy, diversity, health policy, women’s issues, and disabilities.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash