Here’s a question I get asked a lot: How can I make my company more resilient? It’s a great question, and sometimes the answer is simple: Make sure you have an inspiring mission.

In today’s world, people need to be resilient, but companies need resilience just a much. The business environment is more volatile and unpredictable than ever before. Technology has reduced barriers to entry for many industries, so new competitors can emerge at any moment — and from unforeseen places. Surviving means being able to turn on a dime, respond to the unexpected and keep the focus on what’s important — it means resilience, and having an inspiring mission is a big part of that resilience.

Here is what makes an inspiring mission, why it leads to resilience and steps you can take to make sure you have a mission that will unlock resilience in your company.

What is an inspiring mission statement?

Let’s start by looking at what a mission is and what makes some mission statements so inspirational that they spark resilience. Your mission statement is a concise description of what you seek to accomplish in the world and the value that you deliver. It’s why you and your employees come to work every day. Here are some great inspirational mission statements:

• “Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” — Google

• “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.” — Patagonia

• “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” — Starbucks