Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here.

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The problem with most mission statements is that they are full of jargon and platitudes that apply to any organization, not just the one they were written for.

Don’t wring your hands over the wording: focus on action instead.

A mission statement is an abstraction. An organization on a mission is inspiring.

Think about what it is you want your company to do — create the best personal computer, change the way people think about coffee, end hunger, etc. — and make that your charge. Mission statements can galvanize and align employees or explain to others what you do, but only if there is a true sense of purpose behind them.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Do You Have a Mission Statement, or Are You on a Mission?” by Dan Pallotta.

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