Write A Vision Statement That Works

Most companies' vision and mission statements are useless.  Where as a good vision statement can inspire loyalty, hard work and innovation, most of the framed statements hanging on the walls of businesses are nothing more than a description of what the company does.

The kind of "vision" statement to which I am referring usually look something like this:

...to be the leading supplier of [insert product or service] at the best possible price with the best possible service...blah blah blah value...blah blah blah customer satisfaction & innovation....blah blah blah leader in our industry.

I always ask companies with statements like the above what they think the vision statements on their competitors' walls say.  Eerily similar I imagine.   

A good mission or vision statement is just that, a statement of a vision - a look ahead into the future.  A vision statement is an articulation of a view of the world that your company and your people are working towards, not what they are expected to do now.

But the vision alone is not enough.  Given your vision of the future, how, specifically, will your company work to achieve it?  These guidelines or values should be written in a manner by which people, at all levels, can be held accountable.  "Innovation," "authenticity" and "integrity" are not measurable (and frankly things like integrity should be a given...anyone in your company lacking this quality shouldn't be given a mission statement, they should be given a pink slip). 

Here are some guidelines to writing a vision or mission statement that works.

 

Why do you do what you do?

• Begin your statement with "I believe..."
  • Your Vision Statement should start with what you believe, why you do what you do -- your purpose or cause on a level higher than what your company does or makes.  Try starting your statement with the words "I believe..."  or "I envision a world..."  You'll find what follows will be quite different than what you expect.   You can always take out those opening words later, if you want.
    

• Don't write more than two lines for what you believe.
  
  • This is not the place for long-winded descriptions about what your company does or its value to the world.  The opening of your statement shouldn't require more  than a line or two to capture the world you imagine.

• Leave what you sell out of it.
  • This is a statement of your vision, not what you do.  Nowhere in Southwest Airlines' mission does it say anything about being an airline.  What you do is important, but not at this level.

How do you do it?

• Explain How you think and act.
  
  • Now that you've articulated Why you you do what you do, it's time to explain how you do it.  There are probably two to five distinct characteristics or values  about How your company operates that makes you unique in the way you are going about realizing your vision.
  • These ideas  should not be amorphous.  They should be specific and actionable.  They should be written in a way that people can be held accountable.  "Innovative," for example, is hard to hold people accountable to.  You can't say to someone, "be innovative."  How do you know when they are?  But you can say, "always have options to any solution you offer,"  for example.

What do you do?

• What are you doing to bring your vision to life?
  
  • You've articulated your belief and how you go about doing what you do, now explain what you do - the things you sell that will serve as proof to the world of Why and How you do things.

Put your business goals on another piece if paper.

• • No matter how robust,  your business goals belong somewhere else.  They are the result of pursuing your vision and holding yourself accountable to your guiding principles or values.   Your goals may serve to motivate a few people in management, but most people are not inspired by financial objectives.  They are, however, inspired by a pursuit greater than any one person or product.

Only if you're interested, here's my vision statement:

I work to inspire people  to do the things that inspire them. 

And no matter what I do in order to realize my vision, I hold myself accountable to five guiding principles:

1. Be  unconventional:   Shake things up.  Offer new perspectives.  Only when you see or hear things in a different way can you see greater opportunities.
2. Keep it simple: If people can more easily understand something, then it's more likely to get done.
3. Collaborate:  Work with others, because they know more and have already made all the mistakes.
4. Silver-line it: Look for the silver lining in every cloud.  It's better to amplify what works than obsess with fixing what doesn't work.
5. Act!:  Action is always better than inaction.

To realize my vision: I write about how to inspire action.  I consult companies how build corporate cultures that  inspire their employees.   I guide companies how to create marketing and communications that inspire customers to buy from them over and over and over.  I speak to anyone who will listen.  I work to be my own best case study, practicing everything I preach.

 

Comments

[shaista shahid]

your blog gives a clear concept of vision and how to write vision statement. I have to teach how to write a vision statement and your write up was great help , thanks.
shaista

[Daniel de la Torre]

Ya know after some thought I went to Google to see if there was something that I can use to give me some insperation and WOW is all I have to say thank you for the great ideas on how to get started and what I should and should not do to help people understand what my company is about.

[Jordans 3]

The blog article very surprised to me! Your writing is good. In this I learned a lot! Thank you

[billie]

hey, r u like an inspirational speaker of some sort? like tony robins...I'm curious? a bsns advisor, perhaps? did u ever start a bsns before...it seems to me that u have....or r u the authors of how to books/ bsns books?hmmm...just curious...but I do enjoy reading this article...though some of my comments posted r a bit comedic...but I must say u have a lot of knowledge about how to start up a bsns.

[leona]

I felt inspired after reading this and wrote a vision statement for my website/business and then for how I want to live my life. I gained a lot a clarity and cut through some of my sweeping motherhood statements to a specificity that enables me to check if each choice I make is in alignment with my vision. THANKS.

[Miss J Pettite]

Dear Sir / Madam

I am seeking advice as to what i would call the writing below as in either a report or a statement, or other to know who to contact for help if this is not in your line.

I am attempting to explain in writing, the consequence of a crime of deception, and the crime itself, a form of identity theft, fraud, concerning a Residence Order (case) granted in 1992, as in the court records. The records have not been acknowledged due to the (same) records having been falsified and co in side with a fake Residence Order look a like dated 23.1.1996 that i found in my possession in 1999 in place of the genuine Residence Order granted in and dated 1992 as stated above (this has been stolen) my present address where i moved to on the 25. 4 1994 has been used as a first time false applicants, of which the body's who would normally assist in such matters have been deceived by, over and above the spoken word of the person to whom the falsified written word is referring to (myself). The false details deem the genuine details (descised)as non existent to those who have misrepresented (also been deceived but) there client and X client, insulted, but not. I have written a lengthily explanation but have found it very difficult as i am not formulae with the legal terms or indeed illegal and go round in circles and wondered if you take on this sort of work where the writing is edited and condensed apart from the usual assistance, i wish to bring a case ? the solicitors and barrister involved have also been deceived, therefor as the nature of the situation is illegal an unacknowledged crime and court case (order) then i feel i am qualified to say i wish to point out the law to the lawyers amongst others, getting the explanation in order seems to be the most difficult part. This is not a minor situation.

Thanking you

Regards

Miss J Pettite

[collyn]

Hi Simon, Something a lot of companies don't seem to have is a manifesto... and I am referring in particular to the design/architecture/ad industry here. Icon's new issue, just out yesterday, is all about manifestos, almost as a manifesto to bring back manifestos! They aren't as useful at describing what a company believes in, but they are certainly wonderful at firing up and inspiring - even if done so through a slightly diluded vision. But it is in fact this dilusion that inspires, and perhaps makes it unique.

BTW- Wonderful to hear you on the panel at PSFK London... hope you can make it over again soon!