Two Common Mistakes when writing a Vision and Mission you should avoid
Have you ever wondered what a good Vision and Mission statement is? You will recognize them immediately,
Walt Disney’s ‘We make people smile’ (Vision statement).
The instructions to write them are typically deceivingly simple, such as:
• Who are we?
• What business are we in?
• Who are our clients and customers?
• What makes us different from our competitors? And so on.
But in reality you will find far too many businesses that have Vision and Mission statements that seem to be designed by committee: drawn out, non focused statements that seem to try to please everybody. Not the simple, focused and inspiring statement it should be. Why is that?
It is because of two common pitfalls, which once you see them are obviously related:
Trying to cram too much into the statement.
Adding elements from the Common Goals, Main Strategies, Target Market and Culture statement into it.
Your Vision statement describes a state of being, something that the company will be known for. It should be almost Zen like simple. Such as ‘We make people smile’.
In the case of Disney you will find the ‘providing wholesome family entertainment’ in the Mission statement.
A Mission statement helps narrow down the options for the company of how to achieve the Vision.
Using laughing gas Disney could also make people smile, but that is obviously not wholesome family entertainment. So what are the sources of the other elements that seem to pollute too many Vision and Mission statements?
The Common Goal describes a very specific, measurable Goal, to be reached at a very specific date, that provides proof that the company is clearly providing the above to the market. This is where you find things like number of clients, employees or revenue goals. Being a billion dollar plus company at a certain date is a Common Goal. As such, that Billion dollar element does not belong in the Vision and Mission statement.
The Culture Statement describes the norms and values that are seen as critical for everyone that works in the company. When you read statements about being family friendly and having high integrity in a Vision and Mission statement you are actually looking at Culture Statement elements. Things like ‘Technological innovation’ and ‘having the best tools and equipment’ are Main Strategies elements. And describing your Target Market such as ‘families with a disposable income of…’ is of course also the wrong document.
All these additional things are very useful, but if you cram them all into one Vision and Mission statement, you missed the point.
Keep It Simple, Stupid. Those are the best Vision and Mission statements.