Summary: A vision statement is a one-sentence statement that describes your organization’s aspirations. They give employees a joint long-term goal, as well as help define your organization’s core values and purpose.
Vision statements are generally much more removed from the day-to-day aspects of the business than a mission statement is. While they tie into what the company does, it may not be completely clear what their primary product or service is if you only pull from the vision statement. If that were the case in a mission statement, you’d likely need to revise it.
Key Takeaways:
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A vision statement is a declaration of your business’s long-term goals and aspirations.
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Vision statements are usually more aimed toward the stakeholders of an organization than its customers. Despite that, it’s shared with the public, so it has public relations and marketing value as well.
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Writing a vision statement involves considering your organization’s purpose and core values, looking to the future, consulting with your employees, and getting feedback on your drafts.
What Is a Vision Statement?
A vision statement is a declaration of what your business hopes to achieve. It defines the organization’s purpose and is generally directed more inwards than outwards. It’s a way to give a common goal to all stakeholders of the company and point everyone towards a common aspiration.
Vision statements are generally long-term directives. They define an ultimate goal and not necessarily one that’s easily measurable. That means that most vision statements aren’t revised often and tend to remain the same for up to a decade.
Why Are Vision Statements Important?
Having a vision statement can have the important effect of pointing all stakeholders, particularly employees, in the same direction. It also helps to define the organization in terms of its core values and ideals.
How to Write Your Business’s Vision Statement
Writing a vision statement is like writing anything else. It’ll take time, thought, and feedback in order to come up with something that you’re happy with and that suits the organization. Generally, it’s better to get a vision statement right away, so it’s a good idea to start working on ideas for it as your business is getting off the ground – but it’s never too late to start.
When working on your vision statement, you should:
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Think about the kind of vision statement you want. Different organizations will have different types of vision statements. Part of this will depend on what sort of organization you run. Schools, businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies can all have vision statements, and they’ll each have their own specific flavor.
Nonprofits, for instance, tend to have a vision statement describing the problem they want to eradicate, while for-profit businesses will often describe how they want their product to help their customers or how they want it to become essential.
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Consider your organization’s core values. Once you have a basic idea of what type of vision statement you want to write, you should look at your organization’s core values. This will largely define the shape of your statement. It should appeal to your employees – and your customers.
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Look to the future. Vision statements inherently look ahead – often five to ten years in the future. What do you want your organization to look like then? How do you want to have affected people’s lives? It doesn’t have to be something obviously attainable – it may even be better if it’s a bit abstract.
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Involve your employees. You shouldn’t write your vision statement entirely by yourself. Other people who are involved in your organization should have a say in the writing of the organization’s vision statement. Stakeholders of all kinds, especially employees, will be the ones to help make your vision come to life.
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Look at the competitors’ vision statements. One of the best ways to get ideas is to look at what others are doing. This will help you determine what a vision statement should look and sound like, as well as aid you in determining what works and what doesn’t work.
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Write a draft. Now you just have to put something down on paper. It can be terrible; just start writing down ideas. Vision statements are short – usually a sentence – which means that it’s easy to write several of them. However, very short writing assignments can be some of the hardest, so be patient.
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Get feedback. Once you have a vision statement or two that you think is pretty decent, you should show them to others and ask their opinions. It’s unlikely that your first pass at a vision statement will be a home run, so be patient and prepared for constructive criticism.
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Revise. Now it’s time to rework what you have. The revision process likely won’t only be one time like it’s written here, but a process of writing a draft, getting feedback and then revising it several times. Don’t be discouraged by this – a vision statement is a representation of your organization, and you want to be sure to get it right.
It’s also important not to let perfection be the enemy of good. Not everyone is going to find that absolutely perfect vision statement. It likely doesn’t even exist. You want to make sure that your vision statement is solid, representative, and aspirational. But don’t get too caught up in the idea of perfection.
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Share your vision with the world. When you have a vision statement that you and your employees can be proud of, it’s time to share it with the world. Be sure to include your vision statement in appropriate places, such as your website and social media profiles.
Examples of Vision Statements
Every major business has a vision statement. They vary quite a bit from organization to organization, depending on what their core values and primary goals are. Here are some examples from well-known organizations.
Make-A-Wish: People everywhere will share the power of a wish.
Being a nonprofit, Make-A-Wish’s vision statement differs slightly from a for-profit business. In the case of this particular nonprofit, they aren’t trying to get rid of a problem but instead spread joy. They want to pull others in to help them with this goal.
IKEA: To create a better everyday life for many people.
Notice that this statement doesn’t explain how they’re going to do this. That’s what the mission statement is for. IKEA instead focuses on what they want the end goal of their business to be. They aspire to improve people’s everyday lives.
Ben and Jerry’s: Making the best ice cream in the nicest possible way.
Ben and Jerry’s has always been focused on sustainability, using high-quality ingredients, and having a positive impact on the world. This statement covers all of that while remaining pithy and conversational.
Amazon: Our vision is to be the Earth’s most customer-centric company, to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
While it isn’t necessary to mention that it’s the company’s vision in the vision statement, it does make it clear that it’s a vision statement rather than a mission statement. Amazon is looking ahead to create a better, more customer-friendly company.
Samsung: Shape the future with innovation and intelligence.
Being a technology company, Samsung’s exact vision can end up changing as technology does. However, when putting together something inspirational and all-encompassing of new yet undiscovered technological advances, it creates an enduring vision statement.
Vision Statement FAQ
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What’s the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?
The difference between a vision statement and a mission statement is that a vision statement outlines your aspirations, and a mission statement is how you get there.
It’s not uncommon for the two to get mixed up, but if a statement explains how it’s a good bet, then it’s a mission statement. Vision statements more often explain the what and focus on the ideals of what the organization is working towards.
It’s also important to note that not every organization has a separate vision statement and mission statement. That can lead to some further confusion, as it’ll serve as both, or it’ll be assumed to be a vision statement when it’s actually a mission statement.
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When should you write a vision statement?
In general, the sooner you have a vision statement, the better. Try to start working on your vision statement as your business gets off the ground. Many investors are also going to appreciate the fact that you have one quickly.
That being said, it’s never too late to write a vision statement. You can write one up after having been in business for years. Vision statements often help with productivity and cohesion, so it isn’t a bad idea to add one.
References
Author
Di Doherty
Di has been a writer for more than half her life. Most of her writing so far has been fiction, and she’s gotten short stories published in online magazines Kzine and Silver Blade, as well as a flash fiction piece in the Bookends review. Di graduated from Mary Baldwin College (now University) with a degree in Psychology and Sociology.
