Powerful Team Mission Statement Examples (And How To Write One)

Company mission statements outline and explain the company's purpose in the marketplace. Similarly, team mission statements help a group of employees align their goals and purpose as a unit. Knowing how to effectively write a team mission statement can help you develop your career and grow into a leader.

In this article, we explain what a team mission statement is, describe why it's important, list the elements of a team mission statement, provide the steps and tips for creating one and list great examples of team mission statements.

Related: How To Write an Effective Mission Statement

What is a team mission statement?

A team mission statement is a brief statement that describes a team's reason for existing, often explained in the context of the larger organization. In most cases, the team members work together to establish a common purpose and goal for their work together. Typically, a group of employees coming together to accomplish a project would establish team mission statements, but any team, department or group can use one to better align, develop a team culture and build connections.

Related: How To Build a Team Culture (With Steps and Tips)

How to develop a team mission statement

Follow these steps and tips to create an effective team mission statement with your department or group:

1. Establish your team

Begin by establishing who will be on the team. You can gather the current group of employees together for an initial meeting to see if the group meshes well. Unlike company-wide mission statements that a select team of employees works to create, everyone on the team should participate in the formation of the team mission statement when possible.

2. Determine your purpose

Work together to establish the purpose of the team. This will differ tremendously depending on your long-term goals. For example, if your group is a department within the company, your purpose will differ from a team established specifically to complete a short-term project. Know why the group exists and what goal you're pursuing.

3. Know your audience

Understand who your team is serving. Your audience will impact how you write your mission statement and what specific information you include. Depending on your purpose, your audience might be the company itself, your customers or another stakeholder.

4. Understand what to include

Team mission statements are often quite succinct. They're usually only a sentence or two in length. It's important to include the right things in this short statement to ensure it's effective and useful. You can convey several ideas through the use of these elements:

• Purpose: The primary element of a team mission statement is the purpose. The statement should clearly explain why the team exists.

• Capability: Many team mission statements also include the team's capabilities and how specifically they achieve their purpose.

• Inspiration: The overall tone and language choices in the team mission statement should be inspirational and motivational.

• Clarity: The mission statement's message should be clear and easy to understand.

• Legacy: The final component of most mission statements is a sense of legacy, or how the team's purpose will continue to serve the company overall and the community the business serves.

Related: How To Write Vision and Mission Statements

5. Highlight how you will achieve your purpose

Some team mission statements only include a description of the team's purpose, while others include how the team achieved its purpose. It's best to brainstorm the action plan needed to achieve the purpose, so the team knows specifically what the expectations are. When you begin drafting your actual mission statement, you can choose to include the specific action steps or not include them depending on the length of the overall statement.

6. Write a draft

Create the first draft of your mission statement. Most team mission statements are only one or two sentences in total, so use direct, succinct language to capture your purpose and actions. Seek input on how to phrase and structure your statement from all team members.

7. Proofread and edit

Review, proofread and edit your draft with your team. Consider sharing it with other employees outside your team for feedback and advice. Edit the document as needed until it clearly and directly explains your purpose to your team members and those outside the team.

8. Post and share

Share your team's mission statement with everyone on your team. Post it in a public area where the team regularly meets and consider including it on your company's website. Distribute it to other members of the organization as well. You can also use the statement as a way to check your progress throughout the duration of the project.

Examples of powerful team mission statements

Seeing examples of mission statements is a great way to understand their format and structure. Review these fictional example mission statements to help you get a better sense of how they work:

Example 1: Marketing department

A marketing department is a long-standing group that manages the marketing and advertising for the company. Company leadership asked each department to establish a team mission statement to boost morale and better align individual goals. This is their team mission statement:

The marketing team's purpose is to help people find our company by educating and sharing useful information on a multitude of platforms.

Example 2: Research team

This research team is a small, temporary group tasked with the project of performing research on product effectiveness. They've decided to establish a team mission statement to help guide their work together. This is the mission statement they created:

Our research team will work tirelessly to ensure our products work as effectively as possible by running tests and focus groups until we arrive at our goal.

Example 3: Outreach team

The outreach team is a committee made up of company volunteers interested in helping the business expand its outreach efforts to the local community. As a part of their initial planning, they've decided to create a mission statement to help entice others to join their cause:

We care about our community and want to make a local impact by dedicating our time and materials to the needy in our area.

Example 4: Sales department

After a large merger, the new leadership team at a company asks every department to get together and write a team mission statement to help develop new group relationships and align goals. Here's their team mission statement:

The sales team seeks to help customers find the right product for their needs by offering outstanding service and direction.

Why is a team mission statement important?

Company mission statements are a common practice, while team mission statements are less typical. However, introducing team mission statements to small groups within an organization has a number of potential advantages and benefits:

• Focusing direction: With the creation and implementation of a team mission statement, everyone involved on the team knows what the goals of the group are.

• Guiding actions: The team mission statement sets a purpose for the group and guides everyone's actions effectively.

• Determining standards: Once the team has established its purpose and goals, it's much easier to determine the standards by which the team will work.

• Attracting employees: When in a hiring cycle, recruiters and hiring managers can use the team mission statement as a means of attracting motivated and goal-oriented employees to the organization.

• Providing stability: A team mission statement offers stability, particularly during times of change, like team turnover or organizational shifts.

Related: Why Is a Company Mission Statement Important?

Tips for developing a great team mission statement

While each team operates differently, you can implement some tips to ensure you have a strong, useful mission statement for the group. Here are a few more tips to consider for developing an effective team mission statement:

• Be brief: Mission statements are short on purpose to keep the message clear. Make sure your mission statement is no longer than a sentence or two.

• Be precise: Keep your language precise and specific. Don't waste time or space on unnecessary words or ideas unrelated to your team's purpose.

• Be proactive: Think about the long term when crafting your mission statement. Consider the end goal when establishing your overall purpose so you can be proactive in your work.

• Be open: While your mission statement should precisely identify your team's purpose, there should also be some room for advancement and growth as the team works together.

• Be critical: Ask for feedback and constructive criticism on your mission statement at the formation of the team and at regular intervals. Make sure your statement is relevant and understandable