A mission statement focuses on the present and on what an organization is doing to achieve it. It conveys to interested parties why the organization exists and how it creates value for the market or the community in general. The mission statement leads to strategic objectives, which are the general objectives that the organization will seek to achieve. On the other hand, a vision statement is a mental picture of what you want to achieve or accomplish.
It outlines what the organization will become in the future and is a comprehensive and inspirational statement aimed at generating support from stakeholders. Both vision and mission statements are vital for directing objectives, but they mean two very different things. Your mission statement is what your company is doing right now, while your vision statement is what you hope to achieve in the future. For example, your vision might be a successful wine business or an economically active community.
Notice that each of these examples indicates where the organization will compete (what sector it is in) and how it will compete (what it will do to differentiate itself from other organizations).Vision, mission and value statements form the basis of all the activities of an organization. The statement of values defines how people in the organization should behave and provides a guide for decision making. The mission statement defines how the organization differentiates itself from other organizations in its industry and is more specific than the vision statement. Once you have created the vision and mission statements, and possibly the core values, you can develop the strategies, goals, objectives, and action plans needed to activate your mission and achieve your vision. Remember that a mission statement is the “what” and the “how”, and the vision statement is the “why”.More specifically, a strategy is a unique approach to how you'll use your mission to achieve your vision.
Effective mission and vision statements will unify an organization's approach, both for the organization and for its target audience. Each subsequent draft of the vision and mission should be to simplify and clarify, using as few words as possible. No matter how big or small your company is, every company can benefit from strong mission and vision statements. In what could be considered their vision statement, TED goes on to explain that they “passionately believe in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world”.The vision and mission indicate where the organization is heading (vision) and what it will do to achieve it (mission). Well, whether you're a large company or an individual entrepreneur, you can use mission and vision statements to gain clarity and ensure that you're making decisions consistently in line with your ultimate goals.
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