Job Mission Statements: 3 reasons why you should be using them

Traditional job roles as we know them today no longer work. Oftentimes, people wear many hats that go beyond a simple role title that is engraved in our minds with preconceived ideas of what they mean. Further, more often than not, they lack inspirational qualities. After all, nearly everyone has the word ‘manager’ in their job title somewhere. But what is a better way to job description than traditional roles? Job Mission Statements might be the answer. In this article, we show you what they are and why we believe you should be using them.

What are Job Mission Statements?

A Job Mission Statement is a statement that describes the mission you have at a given team in an inspirational, yet motivating way. In other words, it’s an extension to your job title that clearly communicates your mission to your team. You can view it as a mission statement on the individual level while promoting accountability and motivation towards doing the best work.

Criteria for a good Job Mission Statement

A great Job Mission Statement should satisfy the following criteria in order to be effective:

• Inspirational: Does it inspire an employee?
• Clear: Does it clearly communicate what it means to be successful in this role?
• Motivational: Does it motivate an employee to do their best work?
• Value-oriented: Is it linked to a tangible value for your company?

If a Job Mission Statement satisfies these criteria, chances are you will be able to effectively empower your employees.

Examples of good Job Mission Statements

Example of a product-oriented lead:
“My mission at {company} is to find product-market-fit and delight customers with creative solutions.”

Example of a sales representative:
“My mission at {company} is to build valuable relationships with customers and maximize the value they get out of our solutions”

Why you should be using them

Although Job Mission Statements may sound intuitively good when you first hear about them, there are clear reasons and rationales of why you should be using them.

#1: They are empowering

A simple job title can sound really dull. When hard times come employees are easily discouraged. A Job Mission Statement however empowers people. It gives your employees a sense of ownership and responsibility in an empowering fashion.

#2: They encourage better work

The moment an employee clearly identifies with an inspirational and clear Job Mission Statement is the moment you motivate employees to do their best work. This is why Job Mission Statements can play a vital role in a company’s success.

#3: They create a sense of alignment

Lastly, as a leader you want to make sure your team is aligned and that everyone is working towards a shared goal. After all, your job is to orchestrate the contributions of the individuals in a way that creates true value for customers. Job Mission Statements can help you create alignment within your team through clarify what contribution each member is supposed to perform.

How to implement Job Mission Statements

If you came until here in this article, chances are you’re left wondering: How do I best implement Job Mission Statements in my team?

The most important aspect of this is that Job Mission Statement should never be determined by a manager or leader. They should naturally evolve from each employee individually. Hence, you should let your employees choose their initial Job Mission Statement while you play a coaching role in aligning their views with the ones of your team and organization.

In the end, it’s a great way to routinely remind your employees about their Job Mission Statement. One way is to add the Job Mission Statement to the Bio on Slack. Another way is to print it out and have it present at an external monitor in the office. It doesn’t matter which way you believe fits best to your company and culture, in the end, it’s all about helping your employees identify with their Job Mission Statement.

Conclusion

As we have seen, Job Mission Statements are a helpful method when it comes to promoting clarity, motivation, and inspiration among employees when simple job titles aren’t enough. They help you inspire your people to do their best work. It’s a method that can be implemented extremely easily and potentially has impressive effects on the overall performance of your team. Give it a try!

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