How to Pen Your Vision Statement and Mission Statement

Does your company have a clear vision statement and mission statement —and giving you the focus you need to succeed?

Vision and Mission are important components of an organization’s strategic plan. However may find it difficult to delineate the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement and end up misusing them. Some struggle with how to even begin to put them to paper.

We think it’s important to have a clear understanding of these concepts and their differences. So we’re bringing it back to basics and have created a downloadable infographic and outlined each below to help you to understand the difference between Vision and Mission.

Vision Statement

“An overarching statement of the way an organization wants to be; an ideal state of being at a future point”

1. It defines WHERE an organization wants to be.
2. It is what an organization WANTS TO BECOME.
3. It is the VISION toward which the organization is moving.

The purpose is to INSPIRE and be the emotional driver that guides the organization toward the future.

Future oriented: Timeframe: 5, 10 or more years

Questions to answer when development the statement:

• Where do we aim to be?
• What will we be in the future?

When development a Vision statement you have to think about VALUES: how does your organization improve people’s lives? How do you make the world a better place?

Words to use: effort, respect, wealth, happiness, contribution, justice, trust, relationships, excellence, integrity, teamwork, originality, equality, honesty, freedom, strength, quality, cooperation, loyalty, etc.

An effective Vision statement should:

• be brief and memorable
• be written in an inspirational way
• have clarity
• be achievable
• align with organizational values and culture

Final Word ... When crafting your Vision Statement, it is very important to be creative and think outside of the box.

Mission Statement

“An organization’s purpose”

1. It defines what the organization DOES, WHO it does it for; and HOW it does what it does.
2. It is what an organization IS.
3. It is the definition of why the organization EXISTS currently and the boundaries within it operates.

The purpose is to INFORM employees, customers, partners, and prospects of what the organization does.

Present leading toward the future: Timeframe: 1 to 3 years

Questions to answer when development the statement:

• What do we do today? What business problem, human need, or desire do our products and services fulfill?
• For whom do we do it?
• How we do it? Why?
• What makes us different?
• What value do we provide?

When development a Mission statement you talk about ACTIONS.

Words to use: expand, create, facilitate, educate, do, produce, fulfill, support, advertise, evaluate, access, promote, apply, etc.

An effective Mission statement should:

• be written in present tense
• be short (1 or 2 sentences),
• be clear and powerful
• describe exactly what the organization does

Final Word ... When crafting your Mission Statement, it is very important to focus on one question: What makes us different?

Download the How to Craft a Vision Statement and a Mission Statement

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