{"id":11479,"date":"2019-08-07T13:57:06","date_gmt":"2019-08-07T12:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/experts.ng\/?p=11479"},"modified":"2019-10-19T11:55:31","modified_gmt":"2019-10-19T10:55:31","slug":"vision-mission-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/vision-mission-state\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Craft A Vision And Mission Statement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Nigerian companies do not know how to craft their vision and mission statement. Walk into the offices of most small and medium scale businesses in Nigerian and the vision and mission statements that you would see hanging on the walls are effectively useless. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the great mission and vision statements inspire loyalty, innovation, and hard work, the statements adopted by most small businesses are mere recitations of what the company does. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><amp-fit-text layout=\"fixed-height\" min-font-size=\"6\" max-font-size=\"72\" height=\"80\">It appears to me that most small businesses adopt mission and vision statements just to be fashionable \u2013 an item to be ticked off on a checklist as done, without really considering how strategic those two statements can be to the reputation and growth potential of their businesses. In the real sense of things, these statements ought to be the foundation of the very system that drives the <a href=\"https:\/\/experts.ng\/blog\/business-development\/general-management\/business-systems-structures\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">business.<\/a> <\/amp-fit-text><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unfortunately, these statements are mostly forgotten even before they are hung up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When you have strong vision and\nmission statements in place, they serve as a funnel through which you arrive at\ndecisions and prioritize what needs to be done, what is important and what is\nnot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have to acknowledge, though,\nthat the bad treatment that has been given to vision and mission statements can\nbe owing to the fact that most small businesses do not even understand the\npurpose they serve, what they mean, and even how they differ from each other,\nnor how to get one into existence and write it out in a way that makes sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That said, after reading this\narticle, a business owner who is willing to put deliberate efforts and work\nhard can craft vision and mission statements capture the core idea of the\nbusiness while serving as a roadmap to where the path his or her company should\ngo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you are ready for the task\nahead, a great place to begin is to look at the definitions of the two\nstatements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How do you define a vision statement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A vision statement is that big idea that the\ncompany is working towards as a goal. In the book, <a href=\"https:\/\/experts.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/B00ANYNKJ6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vision:\nYour Pathway to Victory<\/a>, Gordon D\u2019Angelo describes a vision\nstatement as \u201cthe definable intention from which preparation is formed.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plenty of grammar, I agree. Let\u2019s break it down a bit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A vision statement expresses in\nsimple terms, what an organization hopes to become and accomplish in the long\nterm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is aspirational. By the very\ndefinition, \u2018vision\u2019, it holds that it ought to be a lofty purpose &#8211; something\nthat internal stakeholders must stretch to attain, yet completely believe it\u2019s\nattainable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some things to keep in mind when\nwriting a vision statement:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>It should be future-oriented<\/li><li>It should be brief and concise<\/li><li>It must be deeply oriented in your core values<\/li><li>It must reflect your self-image as a company<\/li><li>It must be easy to remember<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some questions to consider\nwhen creating a vision statement include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What are our hopes, dreams, and aspirations? <\/li><li>What are the problems we are solving and how does that contribute to the greater good?<\/li><li>What change are we bringing about?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A purpose-driven company\nknows their big why \u2013 which helps them to envision success as a whole. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What purpose does a vision statement serve?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Countless\nresearches show that employees of companies who have meaningful vision\nstatements have engagement levels of 68% &#8211; 18% higher than average. When\nemployees are more engaged, they are both more productive at their jobs, and\neffective as corporate ambassadors of the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since\na vision statement sets the vision for the long-term success of a business, you\nwill agree that it is worth taking time to craft a good one that can turn your\npeople into believers and mobilize them to act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is a mission statement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While I was studying at Harvard business school, I was taught that to establish a very vibrant company with the prospect for growth, we should start the company with the Mission statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It should be clear to all employees and they should be able to recite it without necessarily memorizing it &#8211; they should understand it and align their everyday activities to focus on achieving the goal of the mission statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the vision statement is future-oriented, a mission is more realistic and present-based and is designed to communicate where the organization is at the present time and what they ought to be doing on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mission statements are as\nimportant to a business as a business plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A mission statement is a\nbroad declaration of your purpose that clarifies (1) What you do, (2) who you\ndo it for, and (3) how you do what you do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Apart from capturing the\nessence and philosophy behind your business in a few sentences, a great mission\nstatement flags what your business is all about to both your internal\nstakeholders (employees, management, board) and external stakeholders\n(customers, suppliers and the larger community).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your mission statement\nsets the agenda for the company. It defines what you do, what is at the core of\nthe business and highlights the objectives of the company and the pathway\ntowards which those objectives can be realized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is the most significant\ncontributor to setting the culture of your company. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some questions to consider\nwhen creating a mission statement include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Why are you in business? <\/li><li>Which audience does your business? <\/li><li>How do you serve them?<\/li><li>What products and services do you bring to the marketplace?<\/li><li>What quality and price should your customers expect?<\/li><li>What kind of experience do you provide to your customers?<\/li><li>What role do you and your team perform?<\/li><li>What stands you out from the competition?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A company can use mission\nstatements to establish a framework for acceptable behavior and performance\nstandards for its people. This can help provide guidance for decision making on\nan ongoing basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is the difference between a vision and mission statement?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To put it in as few words\nas possible, a mission statement is a summary of what a company is already\ndoing, while a vision statement is the broader goal they would love to\naccomplish. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vision statement\nfocuses on the future and what the company would love to become, while the\nmission statement focuses on today and what the company is doing on a day-to-day\nbasis in the process of becoming what they envision to become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Keep in mind that the\nprimary difference between a mission and a vision statement is the timeline.\nWhile sometimes there can be an overlap between the two, the<strong> mission\nstatement<\/strong> captures what people do daily for the company to eventually\nachieve its <strong>vision<\/strong>. So, while the vision is the <strong>why, <\/strong>the mission\nis the <strong>how. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Are the two\ninterchangeable?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Obviously not. This is a\nmistake that a lot of companies do, but it is not just important, but also\ncritical that a business should have both. One does not work without the other.\nWhile the vision statement gives your company a sense of purpose, the mission\nstatement provides meaning to what you do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to write an effective vision statement<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Decide who will play a\nrole in writing it: <\/strong>For a small business, you could gather insights from all\nemployees and use that in crafting a vision statement, however, for bigger\ncorporations, you would need to be more strategic than that in selecting those\nyou work with. You may want to host a series of workshops during which you\ncapture the voices of a representative cross-section of your employees and base\nyour vision statement off that. This is important because if employees do not\nbuy into the vision, they will not work with you to carry it out. <\/li><li><strong>Have a look at the vision\nstatement of competitors: <\/strong>Apart from showing you what is important to them, it can also\nhelp you to see how you can differentiate yourself from those in your market.<\/li><li><strong>Project ten years into the\nfuture: <\/strong>Imagine\na world in which your company is either the market leader in your industry or\ncompeting very favorably. How will the world and your company look like if you\nachieved on those goals? That world you see is what should inform your vision\nstatement.<\/li><li><strong>Determine your purpose and\nmarket position as an organization: <\/strong>To write an effective vision\nstatement, you need to consider your company\u2019s objective, advantage, and scope\n(OAS). <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Providing answers to the questions\nbelow can help you write an OAS statement that truly reflects your company\u2019s\nstrategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Objective:<\/strong> \u201cWhy do we exist as a company?\u201d <\/li><li><strong>Advantage: <\/strong>\u201cHow are we different, better or more innovative?\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Scope: <\/strong>\u201cWhat do we need to do and avoid towards achieving our\nobjective?\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Describe a measurable\ngoal: <\/strong>Vision\nstatements are achievable. If you need to know when you have achieved it, then\nit is obvious that the statement better be measurable.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Consider the hypothetical vision statement: <em>To become number one in the sports apparel industry. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is that\nmeasurable? Of course, it is! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>27 Examples of vision statements that inspire confidence<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Guaranty Trust Bank:<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8220;We are a team driven to deliver the utmost in customer services. We are synonymous with innovation, building excellence, and superior financial performance; and creating role models for society.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Unilever:<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8220;To make sustainable living commonplace. We believe that this is the best long-term way for our business to grow.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Intel:<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8220;If it&#8217;s&nbsp;smart and connected, it&#8217;s best with Intel.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>LinkedIn:<\/strong>&nbsp;&#8220;Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Oxfam<\/strong>: &#8220;A world without poverty.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Guinness Nigeria: &#8220;<\/strong>To be the best performing, most trusted and respected consumer products company in Nigeria.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Life is Good:<\/strong> To spread the power of optimism.<\/li><li><strong>Sweetgreen:<\/strong> To inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food.<\/li><li><strong>Patagonia:<\/strong> Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.<\/li><li><strong>Flour Mills Nigeria: \u201c<\/strong>To be the leading food and agro-allied group in Africa.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Amazon<\/strong>: &#8220;To be Earth&#8217;s most customer-centric company where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>TED:<\/strong> Spread ideas.<\/li><li><strong>Access Bank: <\/strong>\u201cTo be the world&#8217;s most respected African bank.\u201d<\/li><li>Nordstrom: To give customers the most compelling shopping experience possible.<\/li><li><strong>Google<\/strong>: &#8220;To provide access to the world&#8217;s information in one click.&#8221;<\/li><li><strong>Invisible Children:<\/strong> To end violence and exploitation facing our world&#8217;s most isolated and vulnerable communities.<\/li><li><strong>American Express:<\/strong> We work hard every day to make American Express the world&#8217;s most respected service brand.<\/li><li><strong>Warby Parker:<\/strong> To offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses.<\/li><li><strong>InvisionApp:<\/strong> Question Assumptions. Think Deeply. Iterate as a Lifestyle. Details, Details. Design is Everywhere. Integrity.<\/li><li><strong>Honest Tea:<\/strong> To create and promote great-tasting, healthy, organic beverages.<\/li><li><strong>IKEA:<\/strong> To create a better everyday life for the many people.<\/li><li><strong>Cradles to Crayons:<\/strong> Provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive \u2013 at home, at school and at play.<\/li><li><strong>Universal Health Services, Inc.:<\/strong> To provide superior quality healthcare services that: PATIENTS recommend to family and friends, PHYSICIANS prefer for their patients, PURCHASERS select for their clients, EMPLOYEES are proud of, and INVESTORS seek for long-term returns.<\/li><li><strong>JetBlue:<\/strong> To inspire humanity \u2013 both in the air and on the ground.<\/li><li><strong>Workday:<\/strong> To put people at the center of enterprise software.<\/li><li><strong>Prezi:<\/strong> To reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories, and inspire their audiences to act.<\/li><li><strong>Tesla:<\/strong> To accelerate the world&#8217;s transition to sustainable energy.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to write a great mission statement <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal that you should\nhave in mind for this exercise is that at the end of the day, the mission\nstatement would be uniquely yours so much so that if a competitor would want to\nborrow it, they would have to rework it extensively to get it to fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Have a market-defining story in mind: <\/strong>Imagine a real person making the decision to buy whatever it is that you sell. What exactly does the person want? How does the person find you and what does her buying from you do for her? The more concrete and detailed you can make this story, the better. By identifying your buyer persona and how what you do does for her, your mission statement will be grounded and useful to both those who work for you and your publics. <\/li><li><strong>Keep it succinct: <\/strong>A mission statement is a statement and not an essay. This is not the idea behind your creating this brand-building asset. You need a statement that is memorable and that will be easy to reflect on \u2013 long-drawn-out essays do not fit that bill. However, still ensure that it captures using a few words, the essence of your business goals and how you go about achieving them. It should clearly signal to your customers, employees, suppliers, and community what it is what you do, and how you are different from others who do similar stuff. Your task here is to communicate your business plan in a few words. <\/li><li>Use vibrant emotive words: Your mission statement should be able to galvanize your people to act every day. Hence, it best serves your purpose to use vibrant, exciting words.<\/li><li>Communicate it: Once you are done creating a great mission statement, your work is only half-done. The other half is to communicate it to your people and have them align their actions with the mission of the organization.<\/li><li><strong>Don\u2019t be afraid of changing it:<\/strong> As your business evolves, it may be necessary to reflect again on your mission statement and see what needs to be changed. The mission statement is not cast in concrete \u2013 at best, it is a shifting goal post that captures where the company is headed. Always make sure that the mission statement clearly captures that.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>10 Examples of mission statements\n<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Andela:\n<\/strong>\u201cto advance human\npotential by empowering today&#8217;s teams and investing in tomorrow&#8217;s leaders.\u201d <\/li><li><strong>Flour Mills Nigeria: \u201c<\/strong>To produce and supply products of superior\nquality and value to the market, thereby enriching the lives of consumers,\ncustomers, communities, employees and all stakeholders.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Facebook: <\/strong>\u201cTo give people the power to build community and bring the\nworld closer together.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Jumia: \u201c<\/strong>Creating a connected digital Africa to improve people\u2019s lives\non the continent, thanks to the internet.<strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Amazon: <\/strong>\u201cWe strive to offer our customers the lowest possible prices,\nthe best available selections, and the utmost convenience.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Access Bank: <\/strong>\u201cSetting standards for sustainable business practices\nthat unleash the talents of our employees, deliver superior value to our\ncustomers and provide innovative solutions for the markets and communities we\nserve.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Samsung: <\/strong>\u201cWe will devote our human resources and technology to create\nsuperior products and services, thereby contributing to a better global\nsociety.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Guaranty Trust Bank: \u201c<\/strong>We are a high-quality financial\nservices provider with the urge to be the best at all times whilst adding value\nto all stakeholders.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Cadbury Nigeria Plc: <\/strong>\u201cTo serve Nigerians with products of\nconsistently high quality, made readily available at prices which offer real\nvalue for the money spent.\u201d<\/li><li><strong>Flutterwave: <\/strong>To inspire a new wave of prosperity across Africa by\nbuilding payments infrastructure to connect Africa to the global economy.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You have seen that\ncrafting valuable mission and vision statements take time and effort. However,\nthe investment is well worth it. Most business owners have found that the\nprocess of coming up with thoughtful vision and mission statements is as\nbeneficial, if not more beneficial than the mission statement in itself, as it\ncan help bring about clarity into aspects of what you do that you have not\npreviously given concerted thoughts to. Additionally, the process will help you\nsolidify your concept of what it is you do as a business and the motives that\ndrive you to do what you do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Most Nigerian companies do not know how to craft their vision and mission statement. Walk into the offices of most small and medium scale businesses in Nigerian and the vision and mission statements that you would see hanging on the walls are effectively useless. While the great mission and vision statements inspire loyalty, innovation, and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11480,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_3899566575_3899566575":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[41,55],"tags":[92,93,94,95],"class_list":["post-11479","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bus-dev","category-marketing","tag-growth","tag-mission-statement","tag-vision-statement"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11479","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11479"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11479\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.experts.ng\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}