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Practice Governance: How to Develop a Mission Statement

John A. Martin, MD, FASGE

A good mission statement provides critical focus for an organization in declaring its reason for existence, its purpose, and its goals, as well as affirming its essential values. It is usually crafted by the organization’s leadership but can involve the input of stakeholders at all levels.  The mission statement is targeted toward all of the organization’s stakeholders, from its partners, membership, and employees, to its clients or customers, vendors, and collaborators.

So, then, what is a mission statement? It is a short statement, usually one or two sentences long, which clearly and concisely defines why the organization exists, declaring its overarching goals, intents, desires, ideals, and core values, recognizing the primary customer, client, or market it serves. As such, it provides focus and direction, keeping the organization on track toward remaining true to its purpose and meeting its fundamental and essential goals. It is a group philosophy, value statement, and action plan all rolled into one crisp and succinct statement.

A mission statement differs from a vision statement. A vision statement is strategic: it describes an organization’s destination—where it sees itself in the future and what it aims to be. A mission statement, on the other hand, defines the organization now, what your philosophy is, and the approach and tactics you employ in attaining your goals.

Sitting down to brainstorm and write a mission statement together as a group a tremendous value in and of itself as a group bonding opportunity and a team-building activity. Realizing together what your strengths, unique capabilities, and core values are as a group makes self-evident in the clearest sense possible how you, as a team, are much stronger and more valuable together than individually, and why you do what you do together every day. What you constitute as a group is uniquely valuable to your client or patient. Writing a mission statement together defines what you do, what it means, and what constitutes the overall aim of what you do, and for whom.

When thinking about gathering your practice together to write your mission statement, it may be both instructive and inspiring to read the mission statements of other groups and organizations, especially ones with which you have familiarity, either because you belong to them, purchase their products and services, or simply know something about them:

  • ASGE: To be the leader in advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence and innovation in endoscopy.
  • Mayo Clinic: Mission (my own practice and hospital): Inspiring hope and promoting health through integrated clinical practice, education and research.1
  • Microsoft: to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.2
  • Google: To organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.3
  • Amazon: To continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximize their success.4
  • Nike: To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.5

When you and your colleagues sit down together to construct your mission statement:

  1. Be brief. Brevity makes every word count, makes the statement easily read, and makes it easy to recall and live up to every day.
  2. Be specific. Who are you now, and who do you hope to be in the future? What values define your practice? Why does your practice exist? What characteristics embody your raison d’etre? What sets your group apart from others—what are your core competencies? Who do you strive to be, and how do you set out to reach your destination? How do you want others—particularly your patients—to see your group? Start with some keywords that capture what your practice is truly about, what you stand for, and what you set forth to accomplish.
  3. Beware the freshness expiration date. Is it time to think about updating your mission statement? A good mission statement is not static: it is dynamic, and should be updated to reflect the evolving raison d’etre and philosophy of your practice, and also to reflect change in your distinctive competencies and the group’s destination.
  4. Treat your mission statement as an action plan. Live it, work it, make it shine!

Dr. Martin is a full-time practicing gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. In addition to his clinical practice, Dr. Martin’s interests center on endoscopy unit operations and efficiency, technological innovations in endoscopy, and endoscopic training and simulation in hands-on training and education. He has served on the ASGE Governing Board and currently serves on the ASGE Practice Operations Committee.

References:

  1. About Us - Mayo Clinic Value Statements. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinic/mission-values. Accessed March 3, 2021.
  2. About. Microsoft. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/about. Accessed March 3, 2021.
  3. About Google, Our Culture & Company News. Google. https://about.google/. Accessed March 4, 2021. 
  4. Staff AA. Our mission. UK About Amazon. https://www.aboutamazon.co.uk/uk-investment/our-mission. Published April 20, 2018. Accessed March 3, 2021.
  5. GET HELP. What Is Nike's Mission? | Nike Help. https://www.nike.com/help/a/nikeinc-mission. Accessed March 3, 2021.