A mission statement elucidates the purpose and primary goals of your team. It explains to the team members, stakeholders, and management why we invest our time and effort working together daily.
For mission statements, you might want to ask:
- What are the three to five fundamental reasons why the team has been created?
- What is unique about your team’s approach or philosophy that informs your views on teamwork?
A vision statement portrays the future ambitions you have for the team. For vision statements, you might want to ask:
- What do you aim to accomplish by the end of the project or year?
- What type of skills do we aspire to develop as a team?
Of course, both overlap a lot and look similar, but it’s good to know the difference, at the very least to ensure you include mission and vision elements in your statement.
Let’s explore some samples.
Mission Statements for Teams
1. Teams at School and University
- Team Unity: “Our mission is to foster a harmonious team spirit, enhancing connections and improving interrelation skills.”
- Academic Excellence: “Our collective mission is to strive for academic success and constant growth in our subjects of study.”
- Community Service: “We aim to engage in community service initiatives, developing altruism and promoting social responsibility among members.”
- Peer Support: “Our mission is to encourage mutual support, ensuring every team member feels included and valued.”
- Skill Enhancement: “We are committed to enhancing our teamwork capabilities, leadership skills, and problem-solving tactics.”
- Sportsmanship: “We aim to exemplify sportsmanship, fostering integrity, respect, and fairness in the field of play.”
- Creativity and Innovation: “We strive to stimulate creativity and innovation, providing a platform for every member to share ideas and solutions.”
- Diversity and Inclusion: “Our mission is to embrace diversity and ensure all members feel included and respected, regardless of their backgrounds.”
- Fun and Engagement: “Our mandate is to ensure an engaging, fun-filled, and dynamic environment that inspires learning and growth.”
- Sustainability Advocacy: “We are committed to promoting sustainable practices among team members and creating environmental awareness in our school.”
See Also: Mission Statements for Classrooms
2. Teams in the Workplace
- Team Collaboration: “Our mission is to foster a collaborative environment that promotes problem-solving and innovative thinking.”
- Customer-Centric Approach: “We pledge to put our customers first, constantly striving to surpass their expectations through our services.”
- Continual Improvement: “Our objective is to ensure continual improvement and embrace a mindset of ongoing learning and development.”
- Productive Environment: “We aim to cultivate a productive and efficient workplace, maximizing the potential of each team member.”
- Ethical Conduct: “Our mission is to uphold the highest standards of ethical conduct in everything we do.”
- Inclusion and Diversity: “Our ambition is to promote an inclusive and diverse workplace where every voice is heard and respected.”
- Quality Assurance: “We are committed to delivering superior quality in all our endeavors, aiming for excellence in our field.”
- Technological Integration: “Our mission is to leverage technology in our tasks, leading to improved efficiency and accuracy.”
- Business Growth: “We strive to foster business growth by meeting targets, improving customer relationships, and increasing brand loyalty.”
- Health and Safety: “Our commitment is to maintain a healthy and safe work environment, mitigating any potential hazards to our team members.”
3. Not-for-Profit Teams
- Community Focus: “Our mission is to create a better community by providing valuable resources and assistance to those in need.”
- Advocacy: “We strive to advocate for the rights and well-being of vulnerable individuals and communities.”
- Volunteerism: “Our purpose is to foster a spirit of volunteerism, inspiring individuals to contribute to societal change.”
- Access to Education: “Our mission is to put all our efforts into providing quality education to every child, regardless of their circumstances.”
- Sustainability: “We aim to promote sustainable practices and environmental awareness within our community and beyond.”
- Health Improvement: “Our commitment is to improve health outcomes in our community through education, services, and support.”
- Cultural Diversity: “Our objective is to promote cultural diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect within our community.”
- Poverty Reduction: “We strive to reduce poverty by providing necessary resources, support, and opportunities to individuals in need.”
- Human Rights: “Our mission is to uphold and promote human rights and social justice on every possible front.”
- Animal Welfare: “Our primary duty is to protect and promote the welfare of animals, advocating for their rights and humane treatment.”
See Also: Mission Statements for Non-Profits
Vision Statements for Teams
Now, let’s move onto your vision statement. Remember, vision statements are about where you’re going – what do you want to achieve as a team? They’re going to be future-oriented statements that talk about your aspirations.
1. Teams at School and University
- Innovative Thinkers: “We envision our team as a hothouse of innovative thinking and problem-solving, bringing forth game-changing ideas.”
- High Achievers: “Our vision is to achieve the highest standards in our chosen field, becoming a benchmark for others.”
- United Team: “We aspire to stand as a united team where every member’s thoughts and ideas are valued, fostering an inclusive environment.”
- Self-Development: “We aim at individual growth along with team progress, honing personal skills and capacities for our future.”
- Community Impact: “We envision our team making a significant positive impact on our school and local community.”
- Resilient Players: “Our goal is to develop a resilient team that focuses not just on winning, but also on bouncing back from losses.”
- Life Long Learners: “We aspire to evolve into lifelong learners, using every challenge as an opportunity to learn and grow.”
- Skilled Champions: “Our vision is to harness our skills, pushing the boundaries of our potential and becoming champions in our area.”
- Embodiment of Fair Play: “We aim to become a team that stands as an embodiment of fair play and good sportsmanship.”
- Social Awareness: “We aspire to be more than just a team, spreading awareness among our peers about critical social issues.”
See Also: Vision Statements for Universities
2. Teams in the Workplace
- Leadership Excellence: “We aspire to establish ourselves as leaders in our field, driving change and setting industry standards.”
- Customer-Centric Success: “Our vision is to be the most customer-centric team, creating unparalleled experiences for our clients.”
- Innovation and Creativity: “We foresee ourselves transforming the industry through innovative practices and creative problem-solving.”
- Inspiring Collaboration: “We envision fostering an environment of collaboration that inspires shared successes across our organization.”
- High-Performance Team: “Our vision is to become a high-performance team, delivering quality and excellence in every task.”
- Transparent Communication: “We aspire to practice genuine transparency in communication, strengthening trust and integrity within our team.”
- Ethical Vanguard: “Our vision is to be a benchmark for ethical business practices in our industry.”
- Diverse and Inclusive: “We aspire to epitomize diversity and inclusivity, promoting an environment where everyone’s voice is heard.”
- Sustainable Practices: “We envisage ourselves as a team that champions sustainability, making conscientious choices for a healthier environment.”
- Work-Life Harmony: “We aim to create a culture that encourages a balanced work-life harmony, looking after our team’s well-being.”
3. Not-for-Profit Teams
- Empowering Community: “We envision a world where every community member is empowered and has access to necessary resources.”
- Respect for All: “Our vision is of a society that respects and protects the rights of all its citizens, including the most vulnerable.”
- Universal Volunteerism: “We aspire to nurture a society where volunteerism becomes a universal norm, with everyone contributing to their communities.”
- Education for All: “Our vision is a world where every child, regardless of circumstances, has access to quality education.”
- Sustainable Future: “We look forward to a society that values and effectively practices sustainable habits for a healthier planet.”
- Healthy Communities: “We envision communities where individuals have access to quality healthcare and lead healthy, productive lives.”
- Celebrating Diversity: “We aspire to live in a world that celebrates cultural diversity, fostering mutual respect and inclusion.”
- Poverty-Free World: “We envision a world free from poverty, where everyone has access to opportunities and resources.”
- Freedom and Justice: “Our vision is a society where human rights are upheld and social justice is a reality for all.”
- Safe Haven for Animals: “We dream of a world where all animals are treated with kindness and live their lives free from harm or mistreatment.”
Tips for Writing your Vision and Mission Statements
While developing mission and vision statements for your team, reflect on the key values that anchor your team culture and work style, as well as your organization as a whole. These will consequently shape your mission and vision.
Consider, for example, what your company’s or schools’ mission statement is, and make sure your team statement has synergy with the overarching aim of your institution.
Furthermore, consider your team’s approach to work, team goals, decision-making style, and the personal values that each member contributes.
For instance, if you’re part of a team that embraces an agile work methodology, you’d likely incorporate concepts like “flexibility” and “iteration” into your mission. If your team champions a democratic decision-making style, you’d possibly weave ideas like “collaborative decision-making” into your vision.
Core values and philosophies that may resonate with you as a team include:
- Trust
- Respect
- Integrity
- Open Communication
- Collaboration
- Inclusivity
- Accountability
- Continuous Improvement
- Innovation
- Empathy
- Transparency
- Adaptability
- Positivity
- Recognition
- Excellence
- Sustainability
- Customer Focus
- Loyalty
- Responsibility
- Goal setting
Before you Go
Explore some of our other mission statement guides:
Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]