Vision, Mission
and Values
Having a clearly
articulated vision, mission and value statement for your business is
invaluable. Organizations that are driven by such a system have a much
greater success rate than other organizations.
A Vision
allows
a company to possess a clear picture of their future. It says what they
want to become. It's a statement that propels the organization forward
and unifies all those that work together behind it. It inspires and
engages people and aligns them behind something bigger than themselves!
A Mission says
who you are, what you are doing and how you do it. It's a statement
about your businesses and let's people know in a few short sentences
about what defines and sets your work apart. It's direct, clear and to
the point.
Values are the
rules the business lives by. They guide the decision making process as
well as the behavior of all the members of the organization. They
provide a safe environment. Values enable leaders and empower the
individuals within an organization to make the right decisions.
Why is it so
important to have a Vision, Mission and Value Statement?
These three
statements clarify where you are going, what you are doing and how you
are going to go about doing it. Having them lets the world know your
focus and your dream. This inspires people and helps them align with
something greater than themselves. There is a sense of clarity,
enthusiasm and control when people align on a shared focus.
How much time is
needed to create a Vision, Mission and Value statement?
That often depends
on the business itself and how connected the group is and how well
defined their initiatives are. If a group has a good sense of what they
want to achieve and their specific areas of focus, the complete V/M/V
process can be completed in two days. If the focus is vague or the
business is in transition it might take longer.
Do Visions,
Missions and Value statements stay the same over time?
Ideally they
should be reviewed yearly. These are 'living' statements and need to
remain fresh in order to remain strong.
Once the initial
statements are developed there may be some slight changes but it's rare
that there would be radical changes unless the whole focus of the
business changed.
