Five Criteria for a Mission Statement

by Elizabeth Smith
Whether you are starting a business or refocusing your plans, a mission statement can help
guide the process. A mission statement tells employees, customers and vendors how you will
achieve your company's vision. It provides a measuring tool for new ventures and a way to
approach day-to-day business activities. As you develop a mission statement, make it one that
will hold up over time and give just enough information to inspire and direct.
Informative
A mission statement should convey the overall goal of your organization, giving insight into
the idea that guides each project and decision. It should communicate the essence of what the
organization does without being overly specific. The informative aspect of a mission
statement is particularly important for unique businesses with a purpose is not readily
apparent. Your mission statement should strike a balance of clarifying your purpose in your
field and providing inspiration.
Simple
When it comes to mission statements, too much detail can dilute the overall meaning. As you
write, try to capture the essence of your company in as few words as possible; too much
detail will make it vague. Use simple, clear and concise language. Distilling the goals,
character and values of your company into one or two sentences is not an easy process and
often takes a significant amount of time and discussion.
Memorable
A mission statement can help guide the actions of employees and decision makers but not if it
is impossible to remember. To help make your mission statement memorable, use descriptive
words that can inspire action. A green engineering firm might keep it to one sentence with a
mission statement that says, "To provide innovative, sustainable engineering solutions."
Employees can use the statement as a guiding principle in developing creative,
environmentally friendly engineering, while clients will understand the basic services and
moral underpinnings of the company.
Achievable
Although it can be tempting to write a grand mission statement, it is usually better to create
one that is achievable. A strong mission statement gives staff something concrete to work on
and a larger goal to work toward. It creates a balance between what you do and what you can
do.
Employee Buy-In
In order for a mission statement to be embraced by the entire company, you need to get
employee buy-in at all levels. To make sure that all of your staff members are behind the
statement, ask for a companywide review, from management to the lowest level. Ask for
feedback and take it seriously. In doing so, you can invite employees to add their insight and
create a sense of ownership that will strengthen the final mission statement.

10 Characteristics of an Effective Vision

By George Ambler, February 3, 2013
An effective vision is critical during the turbulent times of today. Turbulent times require fast
and effective action and this means people cannot spend time checking with an executive
every time a critical decision needs to be made. Effective vision provides the north star by
which we can navigate in times of uncertainty. When the sea is crashing all around and the
dark of night sets in, having a north star by which to steer the ship is a matter of life or death.
A Vision Statement Does Not a Vision Make!
A vision is a much broader concept than the stodgy vision statements one tends to find on the
walls of some corporate head office. A vision statement is not a vision. Its just one of many
ways that we can use to express a vision.
Ask an organisation what is their vision is and the response you will get is a one liner vision
statement that sounds like a corporate slogan. These one liners usually sounds something like
one company, one vision or to be the number one [place your industry, product or
organisation name here] in the world or to provide world class [place your industry,
product or organisation name here] I think you get the idea.
The problem with these one liner vision statements is that they fail to fulfill the purpose of a
vision, which is to provide direction. Its not enough to say climb the mountain people need
to understand which mountain and why the mountain is worth climbing?
An effective vision is much broader than a vision statement stuck up somewhere on the
corporate head office wall. Effective visions are a combination of ideas that express the
following:

The organisations purpose, their reason for existence.

The organisations core values, who they are and striving to become.

The organisations value proposition, what makes them unique, what they are good at
and why it matters.

The organisations strategic intent, a stretch goal and future aspirations.

The Benefits of an Effective Vision

A vision provides direction and road map into the future, it describes the type of organisations
that you want to become and how its unique, it creates purpose and identity.
If you want to build a ship, dont drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give
orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea. Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Some benefits of effective visions are as follows:

Vision provides direction and helps the organisation prepare for the future.

Vision provides guidance for decision-making.

Vision shapes the organisations strategy.

Vision guides the types of people you hire and promote.

Vision defines what you will and what you will not do.

Vision helps set priorities and guides planning.

Vision aligns people and activities across the organisation.

Vision provides purpose and a source of inspiration.

Vision reflects an organisations core values and beliefs.

Vision empowers people and helps focus their efforts.

Vision brings change and hope for the future.

Not all visions are created equal. We do not gain the above benefits simply because we have a
vision statement on our wall. These benefits are only gained if our vision is effective.

What Makes an Effective Vision?

Most visions suck. Theyre boring, they reenforce the status quo, full of corporate jargon,
bureaucratic mambo jumbo and far too bland to drive any real change.
If a leader is to inspire and enlist others to their cause, they need an effective vision. This then
raises the question, What makes an effective vision? The following characteristics will help
you develop a vision that is meaningful and compelling, it will help you avoid ending up with
a vision that sucks. That is a vision that is vague, lacks ambition, tries to be all things to all
people and void of meaning. Use these characteristics to help you evaluate your current
vision and if necessary to guide you in creating a new one.
1. Future Focused: An effective vision answers the question what will our business
look like in 5 to 10 years time? It describes the organisations desired future. A
vision makes clear the organisations direction, providing a clear picture of what the
business will look like in 5 10 years time. Vision provides the big picture. Vision
provides the north star by which everyone in the organisation navigates. It sets the
context for action.
2. Directional: An effective vision provides direction and makes clear where the
organisation is going. This means that a vision needs to be specific enough to shape
decision-making and appropriately broad to allow innovative strategies for realizing
the vision.
3. Clear: An effective vision provides guidance for decision-making and independent
action. This requires the vision to be clearly articulated and easily understood. The
vision must clarify focus, direction and constraints, to ensure that scare resources are
focused on the most strategic initiatives. Vision that is clear enables effective
allocation of scare resources. Clarity allows individuals across the organisation to
have a shared sense of whats important and whats not, to ensure that they are free to
act within those constraints.
4. Relevant: An effective vision is grounded in and an extension of the organisations
past. Visions dont exists in a vacuum. They exist within the current reality and talks
to the context in which the organisation exists. The vision must be relevant to the
organisation and the times, it reflects the organisations response to the challenges of
the day. An effective vision is a good fit with the organisations history, current reality,
culture and values. An effective vision connects what has happened in the past to the
desired future this gives the vision credibility.
5. Purpose-Driven: An effective vision provides a larger sense of purpose for the
organisation and its people. That purpose must be more meaningful than getting
bigger or beating the competition. Purpose is about why we exist and why anyone
should care. Vision connects people to a meaningful purpose, allowing them to feel
that they are part of something bigger than themselves. As Steve Jobs said, Were
here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise why else even be here?
6. Values Based: An effective vision connects people to the oganisations core values.
Values are the beliefs or ideals that the organisation shares about whats good or bad.
They influence the behaviour and attitude of people. Given this values are deeply

connected to an organisations vision. Vision implies a set of values and beliefs that
are required to support who organisations need to become to execute the vision.
7. Challenging: An effective vision challenges us, its an invitation to greatness. A
vision is a goal that should challenge us, stretch us and set a high standard for the
organisation. Effective visions represent a future that is beyond what is possible today
or what we think possible tomorrow. It is the highest level goal that unites and
challenges an organisation.
8. Unique: An effective vision reflects whats unique about the organisation, it
recognizes what makes it different. A vision is unique when it declares what makes
the organisation stand out and why it matters. Vision must make clear the activities
that the organisation will and will not pursue, the capabilities to be developed and the
market position it will occupy.
9. Vivid: An effective vision provides a vivid mental image of what the organisation will
be like in the future. Well crafted visions describe the future in a way that is easy to
imagine and to picture in the minds eye. What would it feel like to work in the future
organisation? What would it be like for customers who engage with this organisation?
10. Inspiring: An effective vision engages and inspires people to commit to a cause.
Vision appeals to the hearts and minds of people. Vision is inspiring when it captures
the hearts of people. Vision is inspiring when it stops you in your tracks, grabs your
heart and causes you to pay attention. An effective vision moves you emotionally,
creating a desire to sign up to the cause.
Review your company vision, is it effective?

Does your vision exhibit the characteristics of an effective vision as described above?

What changes do you need to make to ensure your vision is effective?

Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and
relentlessly drive it to completion. Jack Welch, Former Chairman, General Electric
Mission Statement
Leaders should emphasize the current mission statement to employees, which clarifies the
purpose and primary, measurable objectives of the organization. A mission statement is meant
for employees and leaders of the organization. Strategic plans may involve changing the
mission statement to reflect a new direction of the organization. Highlighting the benefits of
the change and minimizing the deficits will help employees and the public buy into the
change.
Vision Statement
Like mission statements, vision statements help to describe the organization's purpose. Vision
statements also include the organization values. Vision statements give direction for
employee behavior and helps provide inspiration. Strategic plans may require a marketing

strategy, which could include the vision statement to also help inspire consumers to work
with the organization.
Purpose and Benefits
Strategic planning will likely have its successes and failures. Leaders should celebrate the
little successes toward meeting objectives, which are part of the mission and vision statement.
The mission statement will help measure whether the strategic plan aligns with the overall
goals of the agency. The vision statement helps to provide inspiration to employees.
Employees who feel invested in the organizational change are more likely to stay motivated
and have higher levels of productivity.
Considerations
A successful change will involve communicating and repeating mission and vision
statements, which helps prevent people from becoming discouraged in the event of small
failures along the way. Leaders should continue to highlight the strengths of the strategic
plans and involve important stakeholders in the process. Engaging employees and volunteers
will help them to recognize and take ownership of the change. Involving employees also
helps to provide more minds to prevent possible problems.
Vision Statement
A vision statement sets out a company's long-term goals and aspirations clearly and concisely.
A vision statement is intended to inspire and motivate the company's workforce by providing
a picture of where the organization is heading. It also provides a reality check for managers,
who can compare their strategic objectives and operational plans to the vision statement. If a
planned course of action doesn't move the company toward its vision, it may need to be
revised.
Mission Statement
A mission statement defines the business sector in which a company operates and sets out its
key purpose. It summarizes what the company does and why. It also sets out how the
company conducts its business and identifies key stakeholders, such as shareholders,
customers and employees. A mission statement helps employees understand where their
contribution fits into the company's objectives. It also helps other stakeholders decide
whether they want to do business with the organization.
Strategic Management Process
The development of vision and mission statements is an essential part of the strategic
management process. Having clearly defined the vision and mission of the organization,
managers then can set strategic objectives that are aligned with the company's long-term
goals. Managers translate these strategic objectives into an operational strategy that can be
implemented, monitored and evaluated. The outcome of the evaluation will determine
whether any revision of the vision statement, mission statement, objectives or operational
strategy is required.
Alignment

Well-written vision and mission statements ensure that each element of the strategic
management process is aligned to the company's long-term goals. Managers use clear and
concise vision and mission statements to communicate their aspirations to stakeholders.
Employees understand where to focus their efforts if they align their daily work with the
vision and mission. Clear vision and mission statements allow customers, suppliers and
shareholders to choose whether or not they want to do business with the company.