Do your people know your mission statement?

Ask anyone who works for you -- what is your mission statement?

If they can repeat it, you probably have a useful one. If they can't, well -- what exactly is it accomplishing?

I think that mission statements are important. I teach people to align their goals with their organization's mission statement. To do that they need to know what it is. To know what it is, the mission statement should be precise, clear, and short.

If your mission statement is more than nine words long, how do you expect people to remember it?

If you are in charge of your mission statement, you might consider keeping it short.

And, if you're not in charge of your mission statement, maybe you can summarize it in nine words or less.

Wouldn't that be easier to remember?

-- Douglas Brent Smith

Here are some useful tips for creating a mission statement.

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