The mission statement as a "must-do" marketing exercise versus the company's raison d'etre

Throughout the years we have encountered (too) many executives who couldn't state their company's mission and/or dismissed it as a marketing artifice.

A company's mission statement is the very essence of "why" that company exists, what and how it wants to achieve for whom and where. It is the reason why your employees get out of bed every morning and what makes them proud. Otherwise, you are just another run of the mill salary provider.

Remember the story of Kennedy's first visit to NASA? When he politely asked a janitor what he did for NASA, the janitor replied "I'm here to put a man on the moon".

When your mission statement achieves that, you can start discussing the hyped "employee engagement".

Now back to the drawing board!