Vision Statement

A company's vision on the other hand depicts what success looks like. For a non-profit organization, for example, it is often their idea of what their community will look like.

The first step is to develop a realistic Vision for the business. This should be presented as a pen picture of the business in three or more years time in terms of its likely physical appearance, size, activities etc. Answer the question: "if someone from Mars visited the business, what would they see (or sense)?" Consider its future products, markets, customers, processes, location, staffing etc.

I will come to America, which is the country for me. Once there, I will become the greatest bodybuilder in history.......... I will go into movies as an actor, producer and eventually director. By the time I am 30 I will have starred in first movie and I will be a millionaire...... I will collect houses, art and automobiles. I will marry a glamorous and intelligent wife. By 32, I will have been invited to the White House. Attributed to Arnold Schwarzenegger

Mission Statement

A company's mission statement announces to the world what its purpose. While they may vary in length, they typically are not longer than a page and often are no more than a punchy slogan. Most importantly a mission statement should:

• A pure and honest statement reflective thoughtful thinking.
• Simple expression of what the organization believes.
• Should act to unify organizational members.
• Inspire new ideas, products, or services.

Why develop a organizational mission statement?

• It provides organizational members with a clear sense of purpose.
• It acts as a unifying force for the organization's stakeholders.
• It guides new organizational members.

The nature of a business is often expressed in terms of its Mission which indicates the purposes of the business, for example, "to design, develop, manufacture and market specific product lines for sale on the basis of certain features to meet the identified needs of specified customer groups via certain distribution channels in particular geographic areas". A statement along these lines indicates what the business is about and is infinitely clearer than saying, for instance, "we're in electronics" or worse still, "we are in business to make money" (assuming that the business is not a mint !). Also, some people confuse mission statements with value statements (see below) - the former should be very hard-nosed while the latter can deal with 'softer' issues surrounding the business. The following table contrasts 'hard' and 'soft' mission statements.