The Mission That Moves Mountains Or Sits On A Wall
Written By Bill Brady
Across my career, I’ve been a marketing agency exec, a tech founder, and a board director at Med One Group. Throughout these diverse experiences, I’ve seen firsthand what separates organizations that thrive from those that merely exist. The difference often comes down to a couple of deceptively simple questions: Why are we here? and What are we really doing?
For successful organizations, those questions are answered in a well-articulated assertion of its mission, but in too many boardrooms and corporate retreats, the crafting of a corporate mission statement becomes an exercise in consensus-building that ultimately hijacks its potential to guide culture. Too frequently, the result is a long, jargon-filled paragraph (or two), meticulously negotiated by a committee to include every possible nuance, constituency and, idea. It is then framed, mounted on the lobby wall, and promptly ignored.
Take this one for example:
“Our mission is to improve people’s lives through meaningful innovation. We aim to improve the lives of 2.5 billion people per year by 2030, including 400 million in underserved communities. We will be the best place to work for people who share our passion, promoting a culture of continuous improvement, operational excellence, and customer-first thinking. We partner with healthcare providers, governments, and communities to deliver integrated solutions that enhance patient outcomes, improve productivity, and reduce the cost of care across the health continuum. Through sustainable practices and responsible innovation, we create long-term value for our customers, employees, shareholders, and society at large.”
Though the box was checked and that statement may be rife with good intentions, it will be bland and powerless in its effort to inspire employees or guide behavior. Due to its length alone, it evokes no emotion and will be impossible for any stakeholder of the brand to remember, let alone internalize and repeat.
The Emptiness of Focusing Inward
But length isn’t the only thing that can make a mission statement powerless. History is littered with companies whose stated purpose was more about dominance than direction. These are what I call status-driven missions. They are focused on being the “leading”, “biggest”, or “best” but fail to articulate a deeper reason for being.
Consider these historical examples:
| Company | Weak Mission Statement | Why It Fails |
|---|---|---|
| Enron | “To become the world’s leading energy company.” | This is a goal of status, not purpose. It offers no value proposition to customers or society, and it provides no moral compass—a failing that proved catastrophic. |
| The Hersey Company | “Undisputed marketplace leadership.” | Vague and entirely focused on competition, this statement lacks any human element. There is no mention of their product, the people who make it, or the customers who enjoy it. |
| United Airlines | “To be the world’s leading airline.” | Like Enron’s, this is purely aspirational and competitor-focused. It gives no insight into the passenger experience, the company’s unique culture, or its distinctive reason for flying. |
These statements are hollow because they lack a soul. They are about winning a game, not about changing the world, however small that change might be. They do not inspire an engineer to build a better product, a customer service agent to go the extra mile, or a leader to make a difficult, principled decision. They are corporate chest-thumping, and they are utterly forgettable.
The Power of a Purpose-Driven Mission
Now, contrast those empty words with missions that have genuine power. These are statements that are short, emotional, and so clear that they can be recited by every single person in the organization. They are not just words; they are a lens through which to see the world and a filter through which to make decisions.
| Company | Strong Mission Statement | Why It Works |
|---|---|---|
| “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” | It is clear, massive in scope, specific to what they actually do, and highly memorable. It is a task that is never finished, providing endless motivation. | |
| Patagonia | “We’re in business to save our home planet.” | Bold, emotionally charged, and perfectly aligned with their brand. It is a rallying cry that attracts both passionate employees and loyal customers. |
| “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.” | It clearly defines the audience (the world’s professionals), the action (connect), and the outcome (more productive and successful). It is a simple, powerful formula. |
These mission statements work because they’re not about being the best, they’re about doing something meaningful. They provide a north star that guides every decision, every action, every innovation, and every hire.
For example, I lead a company called Troomi, which builds technology solutions designed to preserve the limitless potential of children by protecting them from inappropriate content, predators, and bullies—and by keeping them out of social media, destructive algorithms, and the myriad influences that are contributing to the youth mental health crisis.
We could build all of that—coupled with all the benefits we provide to parents and our goals for corporate performance —into lengthy prose that leaves no good intention left unstated, but instead we simply say, “Our mission is to protect childhood for 1 million kids.”
In one sentence, we combine everything that is inspirational and aspirational for us. The simple idea of “protecting childhood” informs everything we do, from the features we build into our products, to the way we treat our customers, to the culture we build in our office. Every employee knows it, remembers it, and feels it.
From Words on a Wall to a Living Culture
A great mission statement is necessary but not sufficient. The true magic happens when that mission moves from the wall into the hearts and minds of your people, becoming the very fabric of your culture.
But this infusion of mission into culture does not happen by accident. It is the result of deliberate, consistent leadership. It means hiring people who are not just skilled but who are also passionate about your “why.” It means celebrating and promoting those who exemplify the mission in their daily work. It means that when faced with a tough decision, leaders and employees alike can ask, “Which path is more aligned with our mission?” and know the answer.
At Med One Group, “We make medical equipment available.” As a member of the board of directors, I’ve seen this mission internalized and lived by employees who go the extra mile every day because they understand that the availability of medical equipment saves lives. I think of the rental delivery driver who epitomized company culture by insisting that “sick babies shouldn’t have to wait” and another who worked tirelessly to literally navigate big obstacles (like washed-out roads and downed power lines) to deliver urgently needed equipment on the island of Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria.
In his seminal book about the power of purpose called Start with Why, author Simon Sinek said, “People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it.” And that starts with employees. Just like customers gravitate toward brands that stand for something, employees yearn for culture that is fulfilling because it gives them a chance to make a difference in something bigger than themselves. They want their work to matter, and meaningless platitudes about corporate achievement will not help them do that.
If you have yet to understand your purpose and articulate it in a short, memorable and inspiring way, start today with the soul searching necessary to understand the real purpose behind what you do. The result will be a mission your employees are proud to live and a brand your customers want to believe in.