Cool tip from The Harvard Business Review

JANUARY 6, 2011

State Your Mission in 8 Words or Less

Whether you are a non-profit organization or a for-profit company, a crisp, clear mission statement can help you attract investors, rally your employees, and win customers. Unfortunately, those statements are often riddled with jargon and grandiose pronouncements that are too abstract to be acted on. Try to state your mission in eight words or less. Use the format: verb, target, outcome. For example, "Improve African children's health." Keeping it simple will help others understand what it is you do and get behind it. It doesn't end there though. Once you know precisely what your company is good at, you need to measure it to prove your worth.

Today's Management Tip was adapted from "The Eight-Word Mission Statement" by Eric Hellweg.