Vision statement
What is a vision statement?
A vision statement reflects what you aspire your business to become. When thinking about your vision, ask yourself what benefits your company or organization provides that changes the world or marketplace.
How do I create my vision statement?
A vision statement is a picture of the future you’re working to create, what you want to be when you grow up, what you want your business to become. It should answer questions like “Where are we going?”, “How do we want to be seen by others?”, “How will we know we are successful?”. Like a mission statement, there is no one formula to develop a vision. What matters is its appropriateness and the direction or tone it sets for your business. Below, we’ve created a list that you can use as general guidelines to help you as you create your vision statement.
Be inspirational: Use powerful words and vivid phrases to articulate the kind of business you are trying to become. This is your chance to focus attention on the bigger picture and the potential rewards that await.
Be ambitious: The targets you set and how high you aim will, in themselves, also say something about you as a business. So, create the impression of a business that is going places, that aims high and demands high standards.
Be realistic: People need to believe that what is envisaged is actually achievable; otherwise there is no reason for them to buy in to it.
Be creative: Think imaginatively about what your vision is and how you describe it to help stand out from the crowd. Perform a quick search on your vision to see how many other businesses are saying the same thing.
Be descriptive: Take as much space as you need to get your vision across.
Be clear: Keep sentences short and to the point and use precise, uncluttered language. Don’t dilute or lose your message in the background “noise.”
Be consistent: There should still be an element of continuity between your mission and vision statements, or at least some careful thought and discussion given as to why this is not the case.
Be aligned: Make sure your business’s vision reflects core values you can uphold because as the owner, you will be the main representative and ambassador for your business.
Vision Statement Examples
United Nations: “Peace.”
Microsoft: “There will be a personal computer on every desk running Microsoft software.”
Amazon Kindle: “Our vision is every book ever printed in any language all available in 60 seconds.”
McDonald’s: "To be the best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness, and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile."
Why are vision statements important?
Without a vision of where you’re going, how will you develop a plan to get there and how you will you know when you’ve arrived? Nothing was ever created without a vision. It will guide your business, give you direction and purpose, and can serve as a powerful motivator for your employees, competitors, and yourself.
Pro Tip
Developing visions that are truly shared takes time, effort, energy and commitment. You can’t expect that just because you develop a vision statement, read it at a staff meeting and even hand it out in printed form, that everyone will immediately accept and work toward achieving it. You need to walk the talk and totally commit to it yourself before they will believe you’re really serious.