Mission Statements: act global, stay cool

…When Steve Jobs set up his own business, the genuine inventor came up with the idea of promotion. He claimed that only those products must be successful which meet the global needs of humanity. Steve Jobs expressed his desire to improve the current world with the technical inventions in the following way: ‘To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind’. This is what we call a mission of the company.

In case you are thinking about the business, you should not forget about the mission, as well.

Doubts and fears
Those who do not believe in the human power will call the process of mission creation as the waste of time. Time and time again I heard: ‘The only purpose we have is to make a profit. Why are you talking about such a pipe dream as the mission? We can change nothing except for our outcomes’.

Sounds cynical? Just one more detail: almost all the people who expressed similar thoughts failed in making business.

One more problem that acts as the brake on initiative is the fear. A lot of people are, actually, afraid of changes. They feel safe being concentrated on the promotion of the product without mission. They say, we haven’t done any bombshell, so, we are not responsible for the result which the buyers get.

We confess, it’s a failing practice which will never lead to a global success.

How to define the mission
Even though a good business plan and financial statements could help in the accounting, the mission is the fastest track to the customers.

Having understood how your potential target audience looks like, the next step is to answer several questions:

• What are the needs of the target audience which the company is going to meet?
• Why have those needs remained unsatisfied? What was the gap in the missions of similar companies?
• Which level of service should be offered to the customers? Which approaches in the service do people generally prefer? How could your service differ from other companies?
• What are the key values the company has?

Needs and values
As for the needs of the target audience, let’s look at the example of Coca Cola.

It was quite well-known in 1886 but it became an overnight success in 1920s. It happened because the advertisement matched the needs of people. The promoter found out: citizens of the country loved simple atmosphere, sports games and street clothing style. There was no point in presenting Coca Cola as the beverage of luxury or sophistication. The portrait of target audience described became the essence of the company mission:

‘The glass of fashion. Coca-Cola’s pure and wholesome refreshment is enjoyed by more people, of more ages, at more places, than any other drink’.

The next point is to talk about the core values of the company. They also should be connected with the needs of target audience. For example, the mission could rely on the ideas of luxury or try to stand for the concept of affordability. Perhaps, it deals with the sense of comfort, otherwise, it is likely to include the feeling of extreme motion. In all these examples the values differ, consequently, the mission statements would never be the same.

How is it to be famous?
We have collected some cool mission statements the international companies have. So, read and stay inspired!

• To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. (Starbucks)
• To inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food. (Sweetgreen)
• To discover, develop and deliver innovating medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. (Bristol-Myers Squibb)
• To inspire humanity – both in the air and on the ground. (JetBlue)
• Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis. (Patagonia)
• ‘Provide children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they have to thrive – at home, at school and at play. (Cradles to Crayons)

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