When starting a new business or organization, it’s easy to know what you want to do, but it can be difficult to determine long-term goals. Even if you’re an established organization or business, drifting aimlessly and getting the day-to-day work done alone won’t help you truly accomplish anything.
The problem may be that you have not focused on what you want to achieve and how to achieve it. A mission statement and a vision statement could help bring clarity to your goals. Creating these statements will grant you an ideological touchstone to refer back to for decision-making, strategic planning, and establishing goals.
What is a vision statement?
A good vision statement looks toward the future. It is a declaration of what a company will accomplish. It provides an idealistic view of your business and provides the foundation that that action plans are built on. Amazon’s vision statement is; “to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” Nonprofit organization Amnesty International states their main purpose in its vision statement. Their vision reads; “Our vision is a world in which every person enjoys all of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards.”
Vision statements are meant to be uplifting and inspiring. They can inspire your employees and let the world know what you are about. It should be a goal that is timeless, that will remain the same even as your organization changes over the years. If you are having difficulty creating a vision statement, first write down the core values and beliefs of yourself and your key members. Next, ask yourself where you want your organization will be in ten years.
What is a mission statement?
The mission statement is a declaration of the organization’s core values. It defines the business, its objectives, and how you approach those objectives. To put it simply, a vision statement tells the goal, and a mission statement tells how you make that goal reality. A mission statement shapes the kind of culture the organization will have and how it interacts with the world. For example, Amazon’s mission statement is “We strive to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.”
When creating a mission statement it should be short, clear, and powerful. McDonald’s mission statement is “to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.” Think about what kinds of things your company is best at, make that the center point of your statement. Define who your customers are and why you serve them. Create an action plan of specific ways you would achieve your vision statement.
Make it Known
Once you’re done writing a vision and mission statement, make it known to the world. Include it in the office, on the employee handbooks, use it in marketing material. Letting the world know your core values will shape relations with the public. It can help drive your employees with a common unified purpose. When writing a mission and vision statement, use it as an overall guide when making key strategic decisions.
