How to Write a Mission Statement that Inspires

The best mission statements do so concisely and conjure to mind a clear North Star that guides the organization and its community

July 19, 2022
Press the button to generate random icebreaker questions.
There are 300 more icebreaker questions at the bottom of the article
How would you describe your job to a five year old?
What season would you be?
What is a weird food you have tried? Would you eat it again?
What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Would you go in the mother-ship with aliens if they landed on Earth tomorrow?
What is your favorite season?
Do prefer working from home or the office?
What is your earliest memory of this job?
What is the best thing you have bought so far this year?
What is the earliest book you remember?
If you had to move to another country, which one would you choose?
You are the best criminal mastermind in the world. What crime would you commit if you knew you would get away with it?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
What was the last thing you ate?
What person from history would you add to Mount Rushmore?
What is a weird fact you know?
What is your favorite part of working from home?
Were the Spice Girls a good team?
Imagine you can instantly learn any language. Which would you choose?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Which fictional team is the best team of all time?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
What do you usually eat for a quick lunch?
What simple food will you never eat?
Show us the weirdest thing you have in the room with you right now.
Would you rather stay at a hotel or an AirBNB?
What is your favorite movie genre to watch?
Are you more productive in the morning or at night?
Who is someone in your community that makes a difference?
Who was your most unique pet?
Choose one famous person from history you want on your team during a zombie apocalypse.
What is a good way to give back to the community?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
Is Hugh Grant funny?
What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?
Would you want to have an imaginary friend today? Did you have one as a child?
What actor or actress would you want to play you in the movie about your life?
What is the best super power?
What is your New Years resolution?
You can only eat one food again for the rest of your life. What is it?
What is the best work holiday?
What is the first gift you remember receiving?
Would you rather join Metallica or Backstreet Boys?
What is the best example of a community you have seen?
What is an easy way to do something nice for someone?
Show us your phone background and tell the story behind why you picked this image.
What was your first job?
Pick any band to play at your funeral.
If you could have an unlimited supply of one thing for the rest of your life, what would you pick?
Which superpower would you give to your arch enemy?
What is the most obscure superpower you would want?
What emoji best describes how you are feeling right now?
If you could live in any country, which country would you pick?
Would you rather live in a city or a town?
What is your favorite holiday?
What is something you accomplished as part of a team?
What is your standard office lunch?
What is your most used phone app?
What is your favorite season?
Have you ever won something as a team?
Imagine you are a professional baseball player. What is your introduction song?
Beach holiday or ski trip?
Have you ever been to a funny comedy show?
Would you rather live at the North Pole or the South Pole?
What is your favorite song to sing?
If you could live in any state, which state would you pick?
Imagine you could teleport anywhere. Where would you go right now?
What is the most unusual job you have heard of?
What was the last thing you ate?
You can visit any fictional time or place. Which would you pick?
What do your family and friends think you do all day?
What movie do you wish you could watch again for the first time?
Show us your most-used emoji.
What was the most unique style or fashion trend you ever embraced?
What movie defined your generation?
You are stranded on a remote desert island. Are you alone or with your worst enemy?
What is your favorite knock-knock joke?
Have you ever told someone Santa is not real?
Do you know how to speak more than one language?
On a scale of 1 – 10, how much of a team player are you?
What is your #1 recommendation in this city?
What is your favorite holiday?
What bucket list item do you most want to check off in the next six months?
What is your favorite mythical creature?
What was the first way you made money?
If you could be great at any Olympic sport, which would it be?
Which song could you listen to over and over again?
When did you start liking/hating mushrooms?
Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Do you take your PTO all at one time, or another way?
Which show do you remember most from your childhood?
Which beverage goes best with pizza?
Would you want to have a personal assistant follow you around everywhere and do what you asked of them?
Have you ever met your idol?
What did you want to be when you grew up?
Would you rather live 100 years in the past or 100 years in the future?
What is your hobby?
When you are alone in the car, what volume is the music at?
Imagine you no longer have to work. How would you spend a Tuesday?
What is your favorite type of sandwich?

Investopedia defines a mission statement as a “statement is used by a company to explain, in simple and concise terms, its purpose(s) for being.”

To write a good mission statement we have to be able to answer the question, “why should my organization exist” and frame the answer in a way that is persuasive and motivating.

The best mission statements do so concisely and conjure to mind a clear North Star that guides the organization and its community forward.

The American Red Cross’ mission is “To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.”

Tesla’s mission is “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

Nike’s mission is “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”*

With some time and some effort you too can write a mission statement as powerful as these iconic organizations. You too can inspire people, investors, and customers to partner with you in ushering in a future that your organization will lead.

Who is your mission statement for?

To persuade and motivate, we must first understand our audience.

Our mission will be central to inspiring action throughout our network of stakeholders as an organization. Investors, partners, employees, potential new hires, customers, and prospective customers will all come into contact with your mission as it is expressed either through your mission statement, your offerings, or through your other communications.

Investors want to know if the future you’re looking to drive is a feasible one and whether or not they can see you growing into the leader of that future.

Employees and new hires want to join organizations that are focused, outcome-oriented, and mission-driven. They want to know that their work, their contribution to the world, will be of consequence.

Customers are purchasing more than just your offering. They are buying into your story and they are aligning themselves with your brand. When you’re competing in a commodity market, narrative and emotion can become the only true differentiators. Customers will choose the offering that resonates with them, who they are, and the future that they are looking forward to seeing.

we're in business to save our home planet”

Your stakeholders are joining you on your mission. So you have to have a mission worth joining, simple as that.

What makes a good mission statement?

There are no hard and fast rules but there are some principles that you can lean on to inform how you start drafting your mission statement.

A good mission statement is:

Impactful - What does your organization do and who do you impact?

Inspiring - How does your organization make the world (or your corner of it) better?

Distinguishing - Why your organization and not your competitors?

Stylistically, a good mission statement is:

Tonally Appropriate - The language itself captures the tone of your brand

Concise - Your audience will know in an instant whether you excite them or bore them

Action-oriented - It is about the specific actions that you are undertaking

How to write a good mission statement?

Sit down and ask yourself the core questions that are the foundation of your organization:

  • What is our core offering?
  • Who is our audience? What communities are we a a part of?
  • What problems do we solve?
  • What makes us unique?
  • What is our contribution or impact?

Your mission is to offer your core offering in a unique way such that the communities you participate in are impacted in a specific way.

Try using our Mission Statement Workshop Template to guide your brainstorming session.

Once you know the answers to these questions, it’s just a matter of massaging the language until you are confident that your organization should exist regardless of your participation in it. It should be the kind of place you’d be excited to work, excited to purchase, and excited to fund.

We’re not all the UN, we don’t have to be, but all of us are deeply seated in our communities, intimately connected to our customer’s lives, and being aware of those connections and our impact on the people around us means that our mission can be one that is just as easy to get behind.

Make your mission the a beautiful one and you’ll be surprised at how many people are ready to get behind you to start pushing in the same direction.

Tips for Writing a Mission Statement that Inspires

  1. Answer the core questions of your business. Know exactly why your organization exists and who it exists to serve.
  2. Keep it concise and approachable. Don’t scare your readers off with an essay, invite them in with a short, punchy statement that users language they can easily understand.
  3. Match the tone of your brand. If your brand is fun and casual, be fun and casual. If you’re dealing with life and death, reel it in. If you’re visionary, be overambitious. If you’re humble, keep it realistic and no-nonsense.
  4. Point towards specific action. Your reader needs to know what you do. They need to understand what you’d do with their money or their time were they to give it to you.
  5. Make it a no-brainer. Make your mission the kind of thing that is easy to say yes to. What does your community value? What excites them? Give them what they want and then put your money where your mouth is.
  6. Ask your community for feedback. You may be the author of your mission statement, but it is not for you, your mission is what your employees wake up every day to contribute to, they should have a say. Your mission is what your investors and customers have chosen to fund with their hard won dollars, their voice should be reflected as well.

Browse our Free Employee Recognition Guide

Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.

Explore Guide
Employee recognition guide