076 - How to Write a Clear Purpose Statement

How to write a purpose statement. It seems a little daunting, doesn't it? All right, I have to enter this episode with the worst purpose / mission statement of all time. It's actually like the best-worst mission statement of all time. And then we'll play a little game after I read it, you can guess what company it is, all right? All right, this is it: “We provide our products and services with dedication to the highest degree of integrity and quality of customer satisfaction, developing long-term professional relationships with employees that develop pride, creating a stable working environment and company spirit.” Any guesses? Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. That is their mission statement. And actually I think the Michael Scott Paper Company is the actual worst, which says, "I will not be beat, I will never give up, I am on a mission," that is the Michael Scott guarantee I can not get through this without laughing. I feel like this might be the best intro ever to a podcast episode because of all The Office references, but here's what I want to do in this episode today: I want to help you write a really, really good mission statement and maybe even reframe your entire thinking about a mission statement and what you even call it. Because for the most part, mission statements / purpose statements / "what's your why" statements are just too wordy and a bunch of gobbledygook that doesn't help you or clarify your vision. So if you've never written one for your work, or if you have one, but you can't recite it right now off the top of your head and you don't really believe in it: this episode is for you. For the full show notes, head to nancyray.com/podcast/76.   Resources from this episode: Traction, by Gino Wickman Episode 026 - My Favorite Business Book of All Time The Marco Polo App My fave snack: Perfect Bars Some of the links above are affiliate links. I do receive a commission when you choose to purchase through these links, and that helps me keep this podcast up and running—I truly appreciate when you choose to use them!