There are differences between mission, vision, and strategy. Leaders who clearly articulate all three can drive better execution to achieve superior results.
Volumes have been written on the topics of mission, vision, and strategy. Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters by Richard Rumelt is a personal favorite. I encourage everyone to read it. A single blog post cannot adequately provide the necessary level of guidance for such a broad topic, so I will cover this topic over a series of posts, interspersed with other topics our online community has voted on in our current poll.
Most writings deal with corporate-level strategy and the complexities involved in establishing a coherent, actionable strategy that crosses multiple business units. I am going to focus on local visions and strategies. These are developed by leaders two, three, and four levels below the C-suite and are specific to these leaders’ organizations. In other words, they are important to everyday leaders, those accountable for delivering results.
Based on current poll responses, goals and outcomes are topics of interest in the community. To better understand them, it is important to first have a common understanding of mission, vision, and strategy. I will layer in strategic goals and outcomes in this series of posts.
To begin, let’s simplify the concepts. There can be terminology confusion as these words can be used loosely, even interchangeably. I find it easy to think in these terms:
Mission: Why we exist
Vision: What we will become
Strategy: How we will become that
These are at the heart of creating corporate connections, an emotional tie between associates and the company that links associates’ daily work to what the company is working to achieve, as depicted in the Associate / Leader Connections diagram.
Associate / Leader Connections
Leaders below the C-suite should not develop a mission statement for their organizations. Mission statements are a unifying declaration about why the company exists. Everyone in the company should have the same mission. Of course, the more a company offers to a large set of customers, the broader the mission statement will likely be.
On the other hand, leaders below the C-suite should have a vision statement. Some may argue this point and state that the vision statement should only exist at the corporate level, as well, asking individual organizations to utilize a statement of purpose instead. The important point is that associates across an organization have a common view of what they will become together. A vision clearly describes the future. It should be so clear every team member can “see” it. Vision statements paint a picture in simple terms. Search the web for the mission and vision statements of a few of your favorite companies. Here are just a few for consideration. Study their choice of words and length. Which resonate with you?
Mission Statements:
- Microsoft: To empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more
- Coca Cola: To refresh the world…To inspire moments of optimism and happiness…To create value and make a difference
- Starbucks: To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time
Vision Statements:
- Microsoft: To help people and businesses throughout the world realize their full potential
- Coca Cola: To craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body & spirit
- Starbucks: To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow
Mission statements should emphasize relevance to the outside world. Vision statements should touch on what senior leaders are asking associates to do (“to help people,” “to craft the brands,” “to establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor …”), indicating what the company will become.
Organization leaders in these companies can then use the mission and vision to frame their teams’ contributions toward achieving them. For example, perhaps a Microsoft team responsible for supporting students and educators would have a vision statement something like
To make it easy for students to learn and grow in a digital world
Local visions do not have to be eloquent, but they must be meaningful to the team members and must relate to the corporate vision. This local vision makes it clear that this particular organization is to focus first and foremost on becoming the team that makes it easy (not easier) for students. Sometimes that might be developing a solution directly applicable to students, sometimes it might be a solution for teachers that then makes it easy for students, and sometimes it might be a solution for administrators or other constituents involved in the education system. It also emphasizes the importance of digital capabilities, providing a continual pull to the future. It’s easy to see how team members working in this area may feel an emotional connection to their work, feeling the importance of their efforts in a fourteen-word statement.
Defining how teams will achieve a local vision is the realm of strategy, which I will cover in upcoming posts.
A few points to consider as you think about a vision statement for your organization:
- Keep your vision statement short and memorable. If people can’t repeat it immediately upon being asked, it is likely too long. And if they don’t know it, it’s unlikely they are acting on it.
- Seek a vision statement that has an emotional connection for the team. What creates emotion for one organization may not for another.
- Visions are described in terms of strategic goals and strategic outcomes, not actions; strategies are described in terms of actions.
Share your thoughts below.
Do you utilize a vision statement with your team? If yes, please consider sharing. If no, why not?
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