(This is the first part of a two-part post on vision and mission statements)
Do you know the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement? Did you know that you’ve been writing these things your whole life?
Some time ago, I worked with a manufacturing company who was working on their vision statement. The General Manager had just read Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. What seemed to resonate with her was Covey’s idea that companies need to have a useful vision statement. She pulled all of the supervisors and managers into a room with the intention of writing their vision statement. After a couple of meetings, it was clear that they were hung up on the mission and missing the point of the vision.
What I like to tell people is that a vision statement is what you want to be when you grow up. Your mission statement is how you’re going to get there.
I want to be a baseball player. I’m going to work out, take batting
practice and learn to spit sunflower seeds.
That’s an example of a vision statement and a mission statement. The vision: I want to be a baseball player. The mission is the steps that you are going to take to achieve that vision.
I want to be an astronaut. I’m going to study math and science,
get good grades and drink Tang.
I want to be a dancer. I’m going to study music, get on my
school dance team and buy a tutu.
See? It’s simple.
So what does your company want to be when it grows up? Maybe you want to be the best place to work in your town. Maybe you want to have the happiest customers. Unfortunately, that manufacturing company I was working with chose “to make more money” as their vision…which when you think about it, is a mission statement not a vision at all.
Here are 3 tips for an effective vision statement:
1.) Keep your vision short and sweet.
2.) Pick just one thing. The vision you come up with doesn’t have to be forever. When you feel you’ve achieved it, write another.
3.) Make it something possible to achieve. Saying you’re going to take your food cart business and overtake McDonald’s is probably a bit too lofty of a goal.
There’s a garbage hauling company in McMinnville, Oregon — I know, real glamourous. The company name is Western Oregon Waste but everyone knows them by their initials, “WOW”. Do you know what their vision statement is? It’s, “Wow every customer.” Isn’t that great? They found a way not only to communicate their vision in a short and sweet way, but they included their name in the statement. Not bad for the trash guys.
(Look for part two of this discussion on 9/21/11)
