A well-written Vision Statement describes your business’s “why” and reveals your employees’ common goal and direction. Writing good vision statement is compelling through passion, inspiration, and positioning it with the goals and values of your business.
A Vision Statement Is Strategic
Writing good vision statement involves strategic planning to create a clear and concise vision of the future for our business and will define a period 3-5 years ahead. Why not five years or even ten years? Today’s fast-paced world market changes too fast to plan that far ahead. Disasters, wars, conflicts, disease, and government coups profoundly affect the market. Before the Global Network, five-year, ten-year, and even twenty-year plans were possible and encouraged.
The Vision Statement provides additional loyalty by keeping your readers/sponsors/affiliates emotionally committed to our brand. A great Vision Statement turns our readers/sponsors/affiliates into walking, talking billboards for our products/services! The Vision Statement is paramount because it can impact our business’s long-term success, so take your time to consider all points as you write it!
The Mission and Vision Statements define our brand! While the Mission Statement focuses on the purpose, the Mission Statement looks at the fulfillment of that purpose. The Vision Statement should be our business’s guiding light!
A Period Of Time In The Future
Before creating a vision for the future, though, you must know where you are today (Mission Statement). The Vision Statement presents a quick map of how we will get from point A (present) to point B (future).
When your Vision Statement is complete, it should provide much-needed impetus for you as things go sideways, as they often will, and provide added importance to the value you provide to your readers/sponsors/affiliates!
Your Vision Statement should be long enough for your readers/sponsors/affiliates to get a good idea of what value you bring to the table, but just as important, short enough to easily remember for your elevator speech. Suppose you have employees/contractors/volunteers. In that case, they need to be able to convey your vision statement in similar, if not exact, terminology, as the Vision Statement brings clarity and purpose to your guiding principles
Vision Statement Questions To Consider
Following are some questions to consider when creating your Vision Statement:
- Where will we perform our work/services?
- What will we make, or what services will we serve?
- What problem will we solve for your clients/sponsors/affiliates, and what is the value of those products/services?
- Why are we in business? Why did we begin this business, and what compels us to venture forward?
- What is our prime goal? Making money is not a goal without a reason why we want to make money. Our readers/sponsors/affiliates won’t bother reading any further if there isn’t something in it for them. Remember, your readers/sponsors/affiliates care about one thing: WIIFM (What’s In It For Me)!
- Why will questions 1-5 be essential for our clients/readers/sponsors/affiliates (WIIFM)?
- How will we evolve against a constantly changing world market environment?
- How will we manage change?
- How do we want our readers/sponsors/affiliates to see us? Otherwise, in what light will our Vision Statement place us in our reader’s/sponsor’s/affiliate’s eyes?
- How will we accomplish this vision?
- How will we be characterized through our culture?
- Will this be a local model or a global model?
Gain a 360° Perspective
Knowing where your readers/sponsors/affiliates are in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Saul Mcleod, P. 2023) is vital when writing your Vision Statement. If you are unfamiliar with Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, I’ve supplied a link to an excellent writeup by Dr. Saul McLeod, Ph.D.: https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html. I strongly suggest you read the entire article, as this subject will come up frequently as we define our customers and how our business responds to changes in our customer base.
Reading a competitor’s Mission/Vision Statement gives us the capability to view the problem from different angles, allowing us to capitalize on new insignts. While you’re at it, start thinking about performing a competitive analysis (Fairlie, M. 08/31/2023). The following link provides invaluable insight into a competitive analysis’s what, how, and why (https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15737-business-competitor-analysis.html). Mark Fairlie did a great job on this article; it is a must-read by anyone starting up or redefining an existing business.
After crafting our Vision statement, find someone who knows you well and is familiar with your products/services and have them read it to ensure it defines your values. Another point of view can illuminate holes that need to be filled or defined.
Examples Good Vision Statement
- Google: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click”
- Instagram: “Capture and share the world’s moments”
- Microsoft: “To help people throughout the world realize their full potential”
- Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”
- Whole Foods: “To nourish people and the planet.”
My vision statement for my WA business, You and Me and ADHD, is a bit longer because I wanted to define my goals and pathways: Creating compelling and creative content that engages the reader through passionate and meaningful dialog to build two-way trust and loyalty.
Conclusion
The Vision Statement is the most essential definition of where you want your business to be 3-5 years from now. The Vision Statement gives your products/services meaning and value for your readers/sponsors/affiliates while building two way trust and loyalty.
References
Fairlie, M. (08/31/2023, 08/31/2023). “How to Do a Competitive Analysis.” Retrieved 10/07/2023, 2023, from https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15737-business-competitor-analysis.html.
Saul Mcleod, P. (2023). “Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs.” Retrieved 10/07/2023, 2023, from https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html.
Wesemann, E. (2012, November 1). Five Questions: Creating A Vision For Your Firm. Of Counsel, Vol. 31, No. 11. Retrieved July 15, 2023, from www.LRGLLC.com
Hi,
Crafting a compelling Vision Statement is undeniably pivotal for any business. It serves as the North Star, guiding your journey and igniting passion within your team and stakeholders. Dr. Southern, your insightful breakdown of the process and the thought-provoking questions you’ve provided are invaluable tools for anyone endeavoring to create a Vision Statement that truly resonates.
It’s remarkable how a well-crafted Vision Statement can transform a business, aligning its purpose with the aspirations of its audience. Your examples of Vision Statements from renowned companies underscore the power of concise yet impactful messaging.
Indeed, the Vision Statement isn’t just a statement; it’s a map that navigates your business towards a brighter future. Thank you for sharing this wisdom, and I look forward to reading more of your insights on business and strategy.
Thank you for the insightful feedback.
Interestingly I came upon your site to read more about ADHD. How did you personally get onto the topic of “writing vision statements” for this website? Anyway, an interesting read…and perhaps something that many companies overlook when getting set up which potentially harms their business in attracting customers. Do you think modern marketing principles are responsible for this oversight?
Hi Mel, After three weeks 6×10’s on aircraft, I wasn’t thinking and posted it to my website instead of a blog where it was supposed to be. Thank you for catching that.
Hey, having a vision statement for your business is super smart. Ii remember a quote that said ” 3 percent of people have clear written goals and the other 97 percent of people work for them.” Or another way of saying it is that you can’t hit a target that doesn’t exist cheers.
The other half of the equation is if it’s not measurable, it’s not real!
I must express my appreciation for this article . As someone dealing with ADHD, I often encounter challenges when trying to articulate my goals and aspirations. However, this article simplifies the process, offering practical advice that makes the task feel less overwhelming.
The emphasis on maintaining simplicity, specificity, and a future-oriented perspective greatly resonated with me. It’s all too easy to get lost in the details or go off on tangents, but this article underscores the importance of clarity and focus.
I also found the stress on authenticity and alignment with personal values to be quite meaningful. It reminds us that our vision should genuinely represent our identity and beliefs. This article serves as a reminder that our vision statement should not only motivate us but also serve as a guiding compass for our choices and actions.
In summary, this article has provided me with a valuable structure to create a compelling vision statement that will help me navigate the challenges of ADHD. Thank you for sharing this insightful piece, and I plan to revisit it as I work on defining my own vision for the future.
Although there is much to learn concerning living with ADHD, remember one vital aspect: If it’s not measurable, it’s not real! You will need to create a routine of keeping a journal. Not a diary, but a journal. Keep some colored pencils handy when you can’t come up with anything to write. Use the colored pencils to color in the columns, and within minutes, you’ll be writing!
Thanks for sharing how to write good vision statements. I’m wondering if you have a take on what is the difference between a vision statements and a mission statements, The list of vision statements of companies you listed sounds more like a mission statement than a vision statement as it doesn’t express by your definition of what they want to see themselves to be in 3-5 years time. A vision statement should express a certain end goal of how they will look like, a kind of a preferred future whereas a mission statement a statement of what they do. I find many times they are interlinked and sometimes it can be expressed together where you have both elements in one. Just my 2 cents and wondering if you have a view about that. Thanks again for sharing this article.
A mission statement is a statement of reason in the present tense. It tells the reader why the business exists and its most vital values. A vision statement is a statement of intent that tells the reader where you plan on going, what problem(s) you will solve for them, and why the customer is a vital part of the business. As for the confusion, most larger companies sacrifice messages for brevity. Why create a vision statement of a half dozen words, which tells the reader very little!
Hello Terry.Great advice on crafting a meaningful Vision Statement! It’s clear that a well-thought-out vision can shape the future of a business which is of utmost importance to its survival and success. My question is, how often should a company revisit and revise its Vision Statement to ensure it stays aligned with evolving goals and values?
Thank you for the wonderful comment and great question!
That depends on who you ask. Today’s marketplace is an entirely different stage than it was twenty years ago! Twenty years ago, we created business plans that spanned 20-30 years. Today, that same business plan will span 5-10 years! The world market as we know it is a fickle place and is affected by every major event worldwide. We are no longer marketing to just a local market; your vision plan must reflect that.
The other side of the coin is that till you do your due diligence, you won’t know who your customer is or what they want, and you need to adjust for these variables as time goes on. As your business matures and your customers develop new and innovative problems, your future goals change with these variables.
The above doesn’t consider if a business needs to redevelop itself to eliminate a mess of competition. Add the Blue Ocean/Red Ocean context into the mix, and your vision statement will radically change with it! Without a Crystal Ball, there is no reliable way to predict what the future will bring or the unknown-unknowns that will pop up. The future is fluid, and so should be your vision statement.
It is your Mission Statement that probably won’t change much. The reason(s) you started your business and the problems you want to solve for your customer is in the present tense when you wrote it, which means it is in the past when things begin to change.
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Writing Good Vision Statement - You And Me And ADHD