The dreaded mission statement

Featured in just about every corporate headquarters around the world. Appearing sometimes in the foyer, sometimes in the boardroom, sometimes in the tea room, the mission statement is an attempt to put int one sentence what the organisation is all about.
It is instructive and somewhat cringe-worthy to read the mission statements of the fortune 500 companies.  
Here is a list of some of the most used words to be found in the mission statements.

• Innovative
  
• Solutions
  
• Strive
  
• Exceed
  
• Leader
  
• Premier
• Growth
• Deliver
• Dedicated
• Value
• Superior
• Leading
• Excellence

Although these fortune 500 organisations may be very good at what they do, coming up with an original mission statement is obviously not high on the agenda.

So here is a quick guide to creating a mission statement-

• Be original (avoid the words listed above)
  
• Keep it short (it's not a novella)
  
• Does it make sense (grammatically, that is)
  
• Dig deep to express what makes your organisation different (surely it is?)
  
• Lighten up (be playful)
  
• Test it with those inside and outside your organisation (did I hear brand audit, anyone?)