Mission Vision Values – The Foundation that sets the tone for all you do.
There are many schools of thought about what elements should go into a mission statement and the associated vision and core values statements. Subscribing to any on one of them is not a choice of better or worse, but rather which model fits with your business.
If you can sum your business up in a one line sentence like Otis Elevator (We move people up and down), or Disney (To make people happy), then by all means take the path of least resistance. The more succinct and fewer words makes it infinitely easier for employees to be able to memorize and recall. Which is, in fact, one of the reasons that mission statements are created. Business Week has been reported that a clearly defined mission statement can increase several key financial measures by up to 30%.
Let's look at some of the key characteristics of the three types of statements. All of them should be as simple with as few words as possible. This does not mean that creating them is easy. Drafting and rewording with a constant mind for reducing words and improving clarity should be the goal in any review. If you get stuck, use what you have and plan on a review in 6 months. Many times it is much easier after a period of time to see them in a different light.
Sometimes it is easier to understand Mission Vision Values like this:
Vision: That with which we aspire to. Our dreams, our hopes, our goal.
Mission: What we do.
Values: What ethics will guide us in our pursuit of doing our mission to fulfill our vision.
Once these are constructed, it becomes much easier to develop the other aspects of business planning. Any proposal or idea that arises can then be set against the question; Is it within our core values and meeting our mission to fulfill our vision? Should the answer be yes, then it necessary to set it against the financial and capacity plans to determine the ability of the company to move forward. If you complete a Risk/SWOT/PEST analysis, you will then be able to make a very informed decision to proceed.
Click Here to download a FREE sample Mission Vision Values Statement. Notice how it is only one page long and is easily memorized by employees and stakeholders.