Send to KindleA vision statement describes a leader’s big dream for the organization. It should reflect what the leader wants to happen if nothing were to stand in the way. The mission statement is different in that it’s more concrete and specifically defines what the organization does. To be effective, it must be short and succinct. I’ve seen large corporate mission statements that were several pages long. How many employees actually read those lengthy mission statements?
A few years ago, I was assigned to lead an organization with a mission statement that attempted to cover everything they did. No one really knew what it meant, but it took up a lot of space on the website! I gathered my leadership team and we created a new statement, clearly focusing us on what was important. Then we made sure everyone knew it. We even sent it to our customers and told them to tell us if we weren’t living up to our own mission statement. What had been a disjointed group quickly became a focused team, able to complete several projects which had languished for quite some time.
Your mission statement should be about the what and why of your organization. Keep in mind that unless you run a non-profit organization, you have to make money or you’re out of business. If you have shareholders or investors, they certainly expect you to make money for them. This is where the mission and vision must be kept separate.
While the vision may identify ways you want to achieve your dream, that’s not part of the mission statement. How you will accomplish the mission is a separate part of the strategic plan; the goals. But, while goals are not part of the mission statement, they must be tied to the mission statement to ensure they are truly related to mission accomplishment.
A final point about the mission. A good, succinct mission statement is one of the most important employee engagement tools you can have. Employees who understand the mission, and know why they’re contribution to the mission is critical to its success, will be much more engaged than those who don’t. Many times, when I ask what their mission is, employees can’t answer. How do you expect them to be supportive of your mission if they don’t know what it is?
A vision is the leader’s lofty and challenging view of what he or she wants to accomplish. The mission is a short, succinct statement that defines what the organization actually does. Together, they form the basis for a solid strategic plan.
Does your strategic plan have a meaningful mission statement that clearly describes what you do and how you do it? Do your employees know what that mission statement is?
