Clear vision, complete mission

What is vision and why is it important?

Vision is a representation of what you believe the future of your organisation should look like to your customers, employees, owners and other important stakeholders. Vision is almost entirely intuitive in its origin. It is an outgrowth of the values and convictions of your management team.

A well-stated vision statement:

• Is brief, preferably under 10 words

• Is catchy and easy to remember

• Is inspiring and a challenge to future achievement

• Is believable and consistent with your strategic values and your mission

• Serves as a rallying point with all important stakeholders

• Clearly states the essence of what your organisation must become

• Allows for flexibility and creativity in execution

How do we develop our vision?

Here are some questions designed to get each of your management team members thinking about how you should be looking at the future:

• What do I see as the key to the future for our organisation?

• What unique contribution should we be making in the future?

• What would make me excited about being a part of this organisation in the future?

• What values need to be stressed?

• What are or should be our core competencies?

• What should be our positions on such things as customers, markets, profitability, growth, technology, quality and employees?

• What do I see as our greatest opportunity for growth?

How do we create a vision statement?

Here are a few examples of vision statements that could have been developed through a process similar to this. Some of these are paraphrased versions of existing company statements while others are speculative. Yours should be original to you and a clear representation of your present and future commitments.

“We will be seen as the high-value supplier in each market we serve.”

“We will produce any product and enter any market where we can become a dominant supplier in our industry.”

“We will be the best company in our industry in terms of customer satisfaction.”

“We will become a major global presence in our industry.”

“We are and will remain World Class in customer satisfaction and quality.”

“We will continually cheat yesterday’s customers by being so much better tomorrow.”

“In our business, innovation, fun and profit go hand-in-hand.”

Summary

• Your strategic vision is a representation of what you believe the future should look like for your organisation in the eyes of your customers, employees, owners and other important stakeholders.

• Your vision statement should be brief, catchy, easy to remember, inspiring, and a challenge to future achievement.

• It should focus on what you want to become, not necessarily on what you are now.

• It can be developed separate from or as a derivation of your mission statement.

• Your vision needs to be communicated or displayed in a wide variety of ways to ensure that it is remembered by, and inspiring to, your important stakeholders.