Part 1: Writing Your Mission and Vision Statements

Mission and vision statements get a bad rap for a lot of reasons, but having the right ones in place can help steer the course of how you do business. When done right, these give employees a common focus and outlook, ensuring your whole team is moving in the same direction.

So, let’s start at the beginning. Here’s a quick definition for each:

Mission Statements
Mission statements are present and concrete. They should convey a sense of why the company exists to both those inside and outside the business.

Vision Statements
Vision statements are aspirational and offer direction/motivation.

Sounds easy, right? It’s not. Coming up with both of these for your company can send you in a lot of different directions, so I’ve put together a quick list of advice for writing yours:

  1. Choose something that is memorable. Shorter is often better, but neither has to be.
  2. Select statements that ring true.
  3. Do a little research at the beginning, but don’t spend hours looking at the competition. It will cloud your thoughts.
  4. Vision and mission statements should be personal to the company. Choose ones that work for you. One firm’s approach may not resonate with you, and that’s okay.