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How to write a vision statement: Steps and examples

The vision statement is designed to inspire employees, compel investors, and engage the imaginations of your customers. It paints a picture of your company's future and the impact you want your business to have on the world.

It takes work and creativity to write an inspiring vision statement. Here, we'll break down the elements of a great vision statement, guide you through the process, and walk through a few examples of excellent vision statements and explain what makes them great.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is your company’s guiding beacon. It zooms out to give perspective on the overarching reasons for your company's mission. Rather than articulating the specifics of your business operations, the vision statement describes how your company seeks to impact and improve the world around it.

Vision statement vs. mission statement

While both statements help define your company's character and personality, there are some key differences between a vision statement and a mission statement.

The mission statement describes what your company does in the present. It's comprised of three parts: what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. 

A vision statement outlines the company's long-term goals and aspirations for the future in terms of its long-term growth and impact on the world. Your mission defines what your organization does and what you stand for, while your vision statement speaks to your goals and ideals for the future. 

Characteristics of a great vision statement

Vision statements are like snowflakes—each one is unique to its company in length, form, structure, and scope. Your vision statement should reflect your company's personality. However, there are a few traits that all great vision statements share. No matter how unique a statement is in terms of size, shape, or structure, a good vision statement should be:

The purpose of a vision statement is to inspire employees, investors, and customers to believe in your company's mission. Great vision statements are aspirational and ambitious. They convey a sense of passion for the ideal future toward which the company is working.

Though your vision needs to be ambitious in order to be inspiring, it shouldn't be so far out of reach that it feels impossible. You want to choose something that your company will have to strive for, but a completely unattainable goal isn't a vision—it's a fantasy.

A vision statement connects your company mission to your goals, but it isn’t a goal in and of itself. If your vision statement feels too finite or specifically achievable, try to zoom out and broaden the scope of your vision.

Don’t try to cram every detail of your vision into your vision statement—be strategic in selecting the ideas that feel the most relevant and compelling to your stakeholders . You might dream of someday having offices in every major city in the world, but your vision statement should focus on aspirations that speak to your company's mission and purpose.

Vision statement writing tips

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind as you start writing your vision statement:

Collaborate. The vision statement should reflect the character of your entire company, and there's no better way to accomplish this than to write the statement alongside key members of your team. Gather leaders from across the organization to participate in vision statement brainstorms, and run drafts by these same people to get buy-in on your final vision statement.

Write first, edit later. Don't try to write a succinct, well-crafted vision statement right out of the gate. Put everything you think of down on paper, no matter how small. You may not see the value in a particular idea when it crosses your mind, but if you write it down anyway, it may spark better ideas later on.

Keep your own vision statement separate. Many people have personal vision statements that reflect their individual goals, and if you're a business owner, our own vision statement may overlap strongly with the vision of your company. It's important to keep your personal aspirations and your company's vision separate, so that your company's vision statement is something that your entire company can relate to and feel represented by. 

Avoid buzzwords and jargon. Using "industry-speak" makes a brand feel aloof and inaccessible, even to people within the industry. Plain language is always more powerful than jargon, so if you find yourself falling back on buzzwords, isolate the phrase in question and picture a friend or family member asking, "What does this actually mean?" Write or record the explanation you would give to that person and use that language to replace the buzzwords in your vision statement.

Avoid ambiguity. Vision statements don't have to be concrete the way a mission statement should be, but you want to avoid using words that could potentially be interpreted in a way that changes the entire vision statement's meaning. You won't be there to clarify or offer context to everyone who reads your statement, so it needs to be able to stand on its own.

7 steps to write your company's vision statement

There's a lot more to crafting a great vision statement than just writing a few sentences. In order to create a statement that's truly aspirational and inspiring, you're going to need to do a little bit of work. Here's our seven-step process to write a great vision statement:

1. Identify important stakeholders

Your vision statement speaks on behalf of your entire company, so make a list of co-founders, fellow executives, and high-level employees who can help you craft and refine your statement so that it represents your organization as a whole. Getting buy-in from company leaders is also a smart strategic move—the more they believe in the vision statement, the better they'll model it in their daily work and communicate it to their own departments and teams.

Make a second list of stakeholders that represent your vision statement's audience. This list may consist of personas rather than actual people, and should include:

Board members

Partner organizations

Different customer personas

Shareholders

Depending on your industry, this list may be longer or shorter; the main point is to write down a basic overview of the group of people you're writing for. If you're only thinking about your customers, your vision statement may not feel as relatable to employees or might not inspire potential funders to invest. Check your drafts against this list to make sure it feels applicable to all of your key stakeholders.

2. Start with a list of keywords

Ultimately, you're aiming to craft a few concise sentences—and the process of crafting those sentences will be a lot easier if you have a "word bank" of sorts to draw from as you write. Hold an open brainstorming session with your internal stakeholders to come up with a keyword list. 

Make sure your keyword list is comprehensive by subdividing it into smaller categories and making sure you have a good list of keywords for each. At a minimum, you should collect keywords related to:

Your product or service

Your mission and values

Your company's goals and initiatives

Your company's long-term strategic plan

Adjectives that describe your company, product, teams, community, and ideal future (e.g. expert, innovative, affordable, inspiring)

Adverbs that describe the way in which your company operates (e.g. flexibly, sustainably, cooperatively, fearlessly)

Just like your list of stakeholders, the number and type of keyword lists you should generate will vary depending on your industry and company. The important thing is to create a document filled with keywords that you can draw from as your writing, if you get stuck trying to communicate an idea, or if you need to replace some jargon-y text.

3. Answer foundational company questions

In addition to your keywords document, take time during your brainstorm to answer the following questions:

What is our organization’s main purpose?

What are our company’s main strengths?

What are our company values?

Why does what we’re building matter?

How do we want to make a difference as a company?

What is our vision for our company culture ?

What are our most ambitious goals?

What impact do we want our company to have on the world?

What are our company wants? What about company needs?

If our company succeeded in everything it set out to do, how would the world be different?

4. Sort your answers by importance

By the time you're finished brainstorming, you should have a lot of stuff written down.Put all of this content aside for a few days, so that your mind is clear when you return for the next step: deciding what goes in your vision statement and what gets left on the cutting room floor.

Sit down with your vision statement tiger team and a highlighter and review everything you have written down. Highlight ideas and phrases that your group feels are the most important to your company, and cross out items that you're ready to eliminate from consideration (however, don't throw this content out entirely—everything you brainstormed can be helpful in creating other important documents, like your core values, roadmap, or business plan). 

5. Write your company's vision out longform

At the end of step four, you'll have a smaller "word bank" of your most important phrases, ideas, keywords, and answers to foundational company questions. Your next step will be to organize these ideas into sentences that flow logically and are ordered according to your company's priorities.

Right now, don't worry about length—focus instead on communicating your vision in a way that makes sense, touches all of the key points you want to include, and feels relatable to your stakeholders and your audience. It's much easier to edit a long but comprehensive statement than it is to bulk up a statement that's missing pieces.

6. Step back and evaluate

Before you go through the work of editing your vision down to size, take a step back and look at your vision paragraph from afar. This is another point where you may benefit from setting it aside for a few days and returning with fresh eyes.

As you review your vision paragraph, check for the following things:

Is it ambitious enough? Your paragraph should feel aspirational, not like a finite goal to be accomplished.

Is it too ambitious? Make sure you strike a balance between idealistic and unrealistic.

Does it accurately reflect your organization? Run your paragraph by internal stakeholders who weren’t involved in creating it, and as for their feedback on what may be missing, what parts may be unnecessary, or how certain ideas may be phrased more effectively.

Does it make sense? Have friends and family members read your paragraph to confirm that it makes sense to the average reader.

7. Write your final vision statement

Once you've adjusted your vision paragraph and made the changes you wanted to make, it's time to edit your vision paragraph down to a vision statement. In many cases, your paragraph may naturally shrink as you solicit and implement feedback from others, and you may even want to specifically ask for opinions on how your paragraph could be more concise.

Here are a few ways to shorten your vision paragraph:

Eliminate what's unnecessary. Now that you've stepped away from your paragraph a few times and gotten a few rounds of feedback, are there any phrases or ideas that don't feel as necessary as they did when you wrote it? Cut any parts that feel lackluster or less impactful than the rest of the paragraph.

Look for synonyms. Are there any areas where you used several words to say something that there's already a word for? For example, you might replace the phrase "give people the ability to," with "provide access."

Edit each concept individually. Chop your paragraph into sentences and chop your sentences into phrases. Pick up each small segment on its own and see if you can come up with a shorter way to phrase it. It helps if you evaluate the smaller segments out of order—hopping around or going backwards piece by piece will help you notice things that your brain smooths over when you're reading a full sentence.

When your vision statement is finished, bring it back around to your stakeholders to get final feedback and make any finishing tweaks. 

Vision statement examples

There's no way around it—writing a vision statement is hard, especially if it's your first time doing so. Before you get started, or if you get stuck and need to spark some new ideas, take a look at some of these example vision statements for inspiration. 

Note that not all companies have both a mission and a vision statement. Some companies combine the two into a single small paragraph that touches on tangible objectives (mission) as well as more long-reaching aspirations (vision). In some cases, companies won't label either statement, encasing them in a broader page dedicated to "purpose," "who we are," or another similar title.

Here, we've gathered mission and vision statements for a few companies that have publicly set both. 

Mission: To act in the public interest, BBC serves all audiences through the provision of impartial, high-quality and distinctive output and services which inform, educate and entertain.

Vision: To be the most creative company in the world.

Mission: IKEA offers a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at low and accessible prices.

Vision: To create a better everyday life for the many people.

Southwest Airlines

Mission: Southwest connects people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.

Vision: To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline.

Mission: Hasbro creates the world's best play and entertainment experiences.

Vision: To make the world a better place for all children, fans and families.

Mission: To make things universally accessible and useful, Google organizes the world's information.

Vision: To significantly improve the lives of as many people as possible.

Mission: To harness the next wave of innovation and solve customers’ toughest challenges, VMware uses disruptive technologies like edge computing, AI, blockchain, machine learning, Kubernetes, and more.

Vision: To build a sustainable, equitable and more secure future for all.

Use your vision statement to help you grow

A company's vision statement is a living document—it should adapt and change as your company achieves its business goals and sets new ones, grows in size, expands its offerings, and updates its mission. Revisit your vision statement once every year or so to make sure it still accurately reflects your company's ideal future; if not, adjust it! 

But for now, enjoy the fact that your vision statement is written. Share it with your team, announce it to your customers, and use it to proudly guide your company forward.

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22 vision statement examples to help you write your own.

When launching a startup, founders typically have an idea of what they want to achieve — a vision of what success will look like. During the strategic planning process, it’s important to put this vision into concrete terms. Not only does a vision statement clarify your thoughts, but it helps employees and stakeholders understand what the business has set out to accomplish. No matter what the business, a good mission and vision statement can inspire and motivate employees to make that vision a reality.

Whether it’s your first or fifth business, writing a compelling vision statement can be challenging. Below, we'll share how to write a vision statement — one that inspires your employees and positively impacts your business — and we'll look at a few vision statement examples to help you get started. 

What is a vision statement? 

A personal mission statement and personal vision statement can be used to guide our decision-making and help us stay focused to meet our long-term goals. Company statements are no different. A company vision statement is one of your most important business documents, along with your mission statement and core values. Although it’s easy to confuse the three, each one is unique and serves its own purpose. 

Core values are the organization’s long-term beliefs and principles that guide employee behavior. A mission statement deals with “why” an organization exists, while a vision statement outlines “what” that existence will eventually look like. A mission statement has to do with what the organization is doing in the present, while a vision statement focuses on the future. Mission statement examples include L’Oreal’s “Offering all women and men worldwide the best of cosmetics innovation in terms of quality, efficacy, and safety.” Conversely, Disney’s vision for itself is “to be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”

Primarily intended for internal employees and shareholders, a vision statement describes what an organization aspires to be. It helps to think of a vision statement as part roadmap, part inspiration. By outlining a long-term vision, rather than just short-term goals, a vision statement helps give the organization shape and purpose. 

Why it’s important to have a vision statement.

Despite the importance of a vision statement, many companies choose to operate without one. Some simply combine their mission and vision into one general document. Others do away with the idea altogether, thinking that corporate visions are vague statements that serve no actual purpose. 

Furthermore, studies show that highly aligned organizations grow revenue 58% faster, and are 72% more profitable than ones that are unaligned. If an organization doesn’t have a vision or a clear idea of what it wants, it will greatly limit its opportunities and have a difficult time inspiring employees to stay committed.  

How to write a vision statement.

Writing a vision statement may seem like a daunting task. It’s read by every employee and shareholder, and greatly impacts the success of the organization. And a vision statement takes time and thought. When done well, a vision statement can provide the encouragement your company needs to achieve its goals. To streamline the process, keep the following steps in mind while crafting your vision statement:

1. Determine who will help write your vision statement.

When starting out, it’s likely you and your partners will be responsible for writing your company’s vision statement. Once you start hiring, you can ask managers and employees to contribute additional insights. Interviewing a range of individuals will help create a vision statement that integrates and speaks directly to the entire organization. 

2. Project your goals for the future.

Imagine your company five or ten years down the line. The outcome you envision — your dream for the future, your success as a company — should be captured in the vision statement. Keep in mind that the statement should only include the vision, not an actual step-by-step plan for implementing solutions. 

The following questions can help you clarify your vision: 

• Where do we want the organization to go? 
• What can we realistically achieve?
• What problem does the organization intend to solve?
• What are the changes we believe the organization can make for individuals? For the industry? 
• How will things be different if the vision is realized?
• What phrases or keywords describe the type of organization and outcome we want?

3. Stick to the specifics.

A generic vision statement — one that sounds like it could apply to any company — will not be enough to motivate your team. Vision works best when it’s specific and describes an end goal only your organization can provide. Don’t be afraid to dream big. A lukewarm vision will only yield lukewarm results. So it’s important to be bold, and even risky, when writing your vision statement. 

4. Keep it short and simple.

While it should be specific, a vision statement shouldn’t be overly detailed. It should be concise. Start by jotting down all of your ideas, and then pare those down to the essentials. Keeping just one or two key points helps create a clear vision that’s easy for everyone to focus on and fulfill. Stay away from technical terms and jargon, and use the present tense. Rather than trying to write something catchy, aim for clarity. A great vision statement works best when it’s simple, memorable, and inspirational. 

Revisit your vision often as your company evolves.

A vision statement sets an organization’s sights on the future. However, once that future is reached, the vision needs to continue moving forward. Your vision statement is a living document, not a set of static sentences. It plays an important part in your overall strategic plan for a certain time frame. It should therefore be regularly updated to reflect your organization’s current purpose. 

Brex is trusted by 1 in 3 startups for credit cards and spend management — are you next?

Constantly communicate your vision.

Once you have a vision statement that articulates your end goal, make sure it’s clearly communicated. A vision is more effective when your entire organization takes it to heart. Commit the proper resources and time toward realizing the vision you’ve set. This can mean investing in seminars and training or launching a new product. It can also include offering the lowest possible prices, entering new markets, or exploring other areas of opportunity. A good way to help everyone align with a company's vision statement is by inviting them into the process. Ask for employees’ input, and suggest ways to incorporate the vision into their work. Then, make sure to recognize or reward individuals for their standout contributions.

Vision statement examples.

Sometimes, seeing what works for notable companies is just the inspiration you need to create your own vision statement. Below are some inspiring vision statements from today’s top companies:

Concept-based vision statements.

Some vision statements are based on concepts of what the company hopes to be or achieve in the future. This can be a general statement focused on customers, or a position the company wants to hold within the industry. Below are a few examples of concept-based vision statements:

• BBC: “To be the most creative organization in the world”
• Disney: “To make people happy.”
• Google: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click”
• IKEA: “To create a better everyday life for the many people”
• Instagram: “Capture and share the world’s moments”
• LinkedIn: "Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce”
• Microsoft: “To help people throughout the world realize their full potential”
• Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”
• Oxfam: “A just world without poverty”
• Shopify: “To make commerce better for everyone”
• Sony: "To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.”
• TED: “Spread ideas”
• Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy”
• Uber: “We ignite opportunity by setting the world in motion”
• Whole Foods : “To nourish people and the planet.”

Quality-based vision statements.

Other common vision statements are focused on internal goals. These include the type of products and services the company hopes to provide as they grow. Quality-based vision statements can also relate to company culture and operations. The following are some examples from actual United States companies in different industries:

• Amazon: “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
• Avon: “ To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service, and self-fulfillment needs of women—globally.”
• Ben & Jerry’s: “Making the best ice cream in the nicest possible way”
• Ford: “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership.” 
• IBM: “To be the world’s most successful and important information technology company. Successful in helping our customers apply technology to solve their problems. Successful in introducing this extraordinary technology to new customers. Important because we will continue to be the basic resource of much of what is invested in this industry.”
• McDonald’s: “To move with velocity to drive profitable growth and become an even better McDonald’s serving more customers delicious food each day around the world.”
• Nordstrom: “To serve our customers better, to always be relevant in their lives, and to form lifelong relationships”
• Starbucks: “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.” 
• Warby Parker: “We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket. We also believe that everyone has the right to see.”
• Zappos: “To provide the best customer service possible. Deliver 'WOW' through service”

Keep a clear vision.

Even if it’s just a few sentences, a vision statement provides a lot of value. Not only does it outline the company’s desired outcome, but it can communicate intentions and hopes for the future. The best part is that a vision statement changes with your organization. When a vision is reached or updated, it’s time to create a new vision statement. This encourages everyone toward greater goals, and opens your company to more possibilities.

Ready to bring your vision to life? Brex can help.

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How to Write a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement [Sample Template]

Are you currently writing a business plan? If YES, here’s an in-depth guide and sample template on how to write a workable mission & vision statement for a business. A vision and mission statement are some of the most important requisite for business success and sustainability, but unfortunately, most entrepreneurs and small business owners run their business without these two thing out of ignorance.

What is a Mission and Vision Statement?

A mission and vision statement ( more commonly called a mission statement or a vision statement ) is a brief sentence that declares the goals that a business plans to achieve in the future. Like a compass guides a ship, it guides a business to success by providing continuously inspiring its stakeholders in their daily operations and strategic moves.

A mission statement helps you plan your business effectively. It provides the destination for your journey to business success. Of course, without a destination, you can’t plan a route. Before we discuss the steps involved in developing a mission statement for your business, let’s look at the components of a mission statement and why you really need a mission statement for your business.

Today, I will be sharing with you an underground secret to building a business from scratch. This secret is one of the contributing factors to the success of any business; yet, it’s often ignored. This secret is nothing more than a “ Business Mission Statement. ”

“The thing I really care about is the mission; making the world open.” – Mark Zuckerberg

The importance of a mission statement can never be over emphasized. I have seen so many startups without a mission; even some established firms also make the mistake of operating without a mission.

“Being an entrepreneur, I have come to realize that all successful businesses are driven by three fundamentals. One is the cash flow, two is the team and three is the mission. Of these three, the mission is the most important.” – Ajaero Tony Martins

Now what has a mission statement got to do with building a business? What’s the impact of a mission statement on an entrepreneur undergoing the entrepreneurial process? Is a mission statement a source of ? While I am not going to answer these questions directly, the following points will help you further understand why you need to develop a mission statement for your business?

Why Your Business needs a Mission Statement

1. The mission is the foundation on which your business will be built. It’s the true purpose of your business and that purpose is reflected in the mission statement. Without a strong mission statement, you don’t have a true business. All you have is just a profit making venture that will soon be wiped out with time.

“To turn really interesting ideas and fledging ideas into a company that can continue to innovate for years, it requires a lot of disciplines.” – Steve Jobs

2. The entrepreneurial spirit is found in the mission statement. When I look at the mission statement of any business, I get a peep into the life of the entrepreneur that founded that business. The entrepreneurial spirit is what drives the entrepreneur forward. If the mission is strong, your spirit will be strong towards the pursuit of your goal.

“The IKEA spirit is strong and living reality. Simplicity in our behavior gives us strength. Simplicity and humbleness characterize us in our relations with each others, our suppliers and our customers.” – Ingvar Kamprad

3. Your mission statement is the bond binding you, your team, employees and your customers to the business. Take away the mission and other key elements will fall apart. Your mission also has the power to attract other like-minded individuals and entities to your cause. The reason is that people with the same mission align together; more like birds of the same feather flocking together.

4. With a strong mission, your business will weather any storm. Take a look at businesses that has been around for over 100 years and you will see businesses with a strong mission. As an example:

• General Electric has stood the test of time because the spirit of its founder “ Thomas Edison ” continues to guide the company through its mission.
• Henry Ford’s mission statement was: “ To democratize the automobile ” and that mission has kept the Ford Motor Company going.
• Aliko Dangote’s mission statement goes: “ Providing your basic need ” and this mission drives the Dangote Group to dominate the commodities market of
• The Rich Dad Company; founded by Robert Kiyosaki keeps waxing strong because of its mission, which is “ To elevate the financial well being of humanity .”

By contrast; I have come to observe that when a company forgets its mission, its starts to lose its relevance. The bond holding the business will be broken and good customers will leave, employees will resign and the business will dwindle. Just as the case of the Dot com burst, many profitable Dot com companies went under because they forgot their mission.

3 Components of a Mission and Vision Statement

1.  a vision.

This, simply put, states the impact you envision your business having on the world in years to come. You can have more than a single statement in here, but don’t go beyond three. Gloss it over to make sure anyone who reads it feels at least one of inspiration, hope, commitment, and awe.

In addition, your vision statement must be compelling, detailed, and reflective of the intended end outcome. Avoid one that is bland, generic, uninspiring, or unreasonable. An example of a good vision statement is that of Amazon:

“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

2.  A mission statement

This is a brief statement that states the important goal or purpose that your business is poised to achieve. In other words, it’s a single sentence stating why your business exists in a convincing manner. Keep your mission statement specific and concise ( the shorter it is, the better ), make it connect with both employees and stakeholders, and make it highlight your value proposition. Don’t make it too long, generic, or confusing. An example of a good mission statement is that of Nike:

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”

Here’s another example of a mission statement:

“To contribute to development of value-added agricultural businesses . ”

3. Core values

These outline the principles and values that the stakeholders in a business will follow in their bid to achieve their vision. They also specify the bounds or limits that the stakeholders must watch while trying to actualize the mission. The following are examples of core values:

• Respect and protect the environment
• Offer high quality products that are safe for consumers
• Meet the ever-changing needs of consumers
• Practice highly ethical business standards

If your business is going to stand the test of time, then you will have to build it upon a strong mission. With the above in mind, let’s now look at the steps involved in developing a mission and visions statement.

How to Write a Mission and Vision Statement for a Business Plan

Please bear in mind that you are learning as much of yourself each day as you are about your customer. So, don’t feel that anything you state here is etched in stone and cannot be changed. The more you understand your customer and the market, the more necessary it would become for you to shift grounds accordingly. But you need to state here what you have to offer at the moment. This will be a starting point for any changes you may need to effect later ( as your business grows ).

1.  Sit down in a quiet spot and reflect upon your thoughts

Ask yourself what drives you forward? What keeps you motivated? When you have figured out the answer to these questions, put it down in writing.

2.  Ask yourself how best you can serve your customers

What will your business stand for in the heart of your customers? What will be the ultimate benefit your customers can derive from your business? When you figure the answer to these questions out, put it down in writing.

3. Brainstorm for your vision statement

The vision is the most important component of your mission statement. Simply put, this is a picture or idea of what you plan to achieve in future . A vision statement is always concise and easy to remember, and for this reason, every stakeholder in a business can easily focus on it; and their decisions and activities are directed towards achieving the vision. Here is a good example of a vision statement:

“ Creating a vibrant rural economy driven by value-added agriculture. “

Once you get one down, then getting other components becomes very easy. To find the best vision statement for your business, simply ask yourself the question, “Why does this business exist?” Present answers from various angles, and you will find your mission statement among them.

4.  Get down your mission statement

As stated earlier, your mission statement is that action sentence that describes how you will achieve your vision. Finding this is much easier once you have found your vision statement. If you are stuck, just do it this way: If your vision is “A diabetes-free society” , then simply add the word “ To ” and another suitable verb to convert it to an action sentence. And there you will have your mission statement.

Using the same vision, you will get “To bring about a diabetes-free society .” You can go further by tweaking it, so that you will have something like: “To manufacture products that can cure diabetes effectively and permanently.” You get it now?

5.  List your core values

First off, you need to clarify your values. This means taking into account all the various stakeholders that your business is ( or will be ) accountable to—including investors, customers, employees, and suppliers. Now, consider how you would like to ideally conduct business with each of these stakeholders. Start making a list and your core values should start to emerge.

These are the various steps you will follow in your quest to achieve your vision. Brainstorm for as many as possible, list them down, and the prune your list down to as few as possible without leaving out any important ones. Now, let’s look at some additional tips that you will need to keep in mind when preparing your mission and vision statement.

4 Extra Success Tips for Developing a Business Plan Mission and Vision Statement

• Your mission statement must be brief and simple. Being succinct as demanded by a mission statement isn’t easy. And you may need to go through several hours of tweaking and editing before arriving at the perfect sentence. Though short, your mission statement must capture the very essence of what your business plans to achieve. The fewer words the better. Use just only the few words needed to pass the message without leaving out any vital details.
• Your mission statement must be in tune with your vision, and both sentences must blend to form a single thought.
• There’s no rule that says you must get it perfectly at once. You can keep review your mission statement later, if necessary.
• Your mission and vision statements must give the reader an insight, a covert one, at least into what you offer. This is more important if the name of your business doesn’t suggest what products or services you’re offering.

If you follow the guidelines I shared in this post, you will prepare a perfect vision and mission statement that will drive your business to success. Now I want you to know that no one can help you develop a mission statement. You alone can develop your mission and as a final note, it’s worthwhile you know that of the entire business system, the mission is the most important.

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How To Create A Mission, Vision, And Values Statement

November 29, 2023 By Patricia Lotich, MBA

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

I was recently asked why a business needs a mission, vision, and values statement.

My response was that a mission, vision, and values statement is a tool to help an organization accomplish what it has set out to do and helps provide a framework for strategy, focus, and decision-making .

A Vision statement describes the ideal future state of the organization.  It articulates what the organization is trying to accomplish.

Vision Statement Example

“ABC Auto Repair will be the premiere auto shop in the metropolitan area by providing extraordinary customer service and high-quality auto repair that exceeds all competition.”

A Mission statement describes why the organization exists and why it does what it does.

Mission Statement Example

“ABC Auto Repair exists to help its customers care for and extend the life of their automobile investments.”

A Values statement describes and lists the fundamental values and principles that the organization operates by.

Values Statement Example

“ABC Auto Repair operates by the following guiding principles:   Honesty, Integrity, Customer Service, Quality, Diversity, and Innovation.”

Some organizations write paragraphs describing their vision.

But I think the shorter the statement, the more likely employees will be able to absorb, memorize, and ideally explain it to others.

Employees Need To Understand

Employees should have a good understanding of what the business is trying to accomplish and why it does what it does.

This contributes to high levels of  employee engagement and employees who provide excellent customer service .

Every organization needs to understand where it is going before it can develop a strategic plan and map out steps to get there!

7 Steps to Creating a Mission, Vision, and Values Statement

1. gather board level leadership.

If you don’t have a formal board, pull together an advisory team .

If you are a small business, pull in anyone who has helped you get to where you are in an advisory capacity.

Writing a vision, mission, and values statement should be an exercise that is done at the board level – with some senior-level employees.

This can be done in a retreat setting, such as a conference room of a hotel or the back room of a restaurant.

The goal is to create an environment insulated from distractions and interruptions.

2. Identify an Objective Facilitator

If the organization has strong leadership , there may be someone at the board level who can facilitate the visioning session.

Whether the facilitator is a member of the staff or is contracted through a third party, the facilitator’s role is to help drive the process without influencing the content.

An experienced facilitator will know how to do this.

3. Dream As a Group

A visioning session is a time for dreaming.

Work with flip charts or whiteboards to get the creative juices going and provide colorful visuals that help spark thoughts and ideas.

Divide into groups of 3-4 people, provide each group with a flip chart, and have them discuss and answer the following questions:

Note: There should be simultaneous groups if there is more than one group.

• Who are we?
• What do we want this organization to look like in 5, or 10 years?
• Where do we want to be 1, 5, or 10 years down the road?
• Create a headline for a newspaper about the organization ten years from now. What would it say?

This exercise should take 20-30 minutes.

4. Share Ideas

After 30 minutes, ask all groups to share the thoughts and ideas they came up with.

Use the larger group to pick the best thoughts and ideas from each of the smaller groups.

Write the collective thoughts and words on a new flip chart.

Ask all participants to add, subtract, and formalize the sentence structure of the statement.

5. Examine the Statement

After the group drafts a couple of sentences, read them out loud to the entire group again.

Next, test the sentences to see if the entire group agrees that the statement reflects the organization and describes an ideal future state.

Make sure the statement is descriptive enough and is measurable to determine progress toward the vision.

6. Clarify the Mission

After the vision statement is written, go through a similar exercise to define the organization’s mission.

Remember, a mission statement describes “why” the organization exists.

Vision and mission statements should be used for decision-making to reflect the importance of what the business is trying to accomplish.

Break into small groups again and spend another 20-30 minutes brainstorming words that describe why the organization exists.

Once all the groups have their ideas down, ask them to present them to the other groups.

Using a flip chart, combine all of the ideas and, as a group, try to create a short phrase that is descriptive of why the organization exists.

The phrase will get molded by the group, and after it is in a final state, read it out loud one last time so the entire group agrees that it reflects why the organization exists.

7. Define Organizational Values

Once a vision and mission statement is drafted, break into groups once again and allow another 20 minutes or so to come up with a list of values.

These will become the shared values that the organization operates by.

As the groups come up with their lists, ask them again to present their ideas to the larger group and then combine and agree on one list.

The final list should ideally be 5-10 words and should be easy for people to memorize.

You did it!

You now have an articulated Mission, Vision, and Values Statement.

Next, you will have it printed and displayed in your business so your customers and employees can see your priorities and what you are trying to accomplish!

Many organizations don’t have a defined vision, mission, and values statement because they don’t know how to do it, and the process scares them.

However, if you can get the right people in the room and have a trained facilitator, it can be done in a few short hours.

Has your organization developed a Vision, Mission, and Values statement?

About Patricia Lotich, MBA

Patricia Lotich, MBA is a Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence through the American Society for Quality. She has a driving passion to help small businesses, nonprofits and churches fulfill their mission by managing their resources of - people, time and money.

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How to Write Mission, Vision, and Values Statements - 100 Examples to Help Guide You Through the Process

Mission, vision and values statements serve as the foundation for an organization’s strategic plan. They convey the purpose, direction and underlying values of the organization. When developed and implemented in a thoughtful and deliberate manner, these statements can serve as powerful tools that provide organizations with meaningful guidance, especially under times of rapid change. Consequently, taking the time to craft relevant mission, vision and value statements should be carefully considered.

To get started, please review our tips in the article below on how to write good mission, vision and values statements. To go deeper, download our North Star Leading Practices eBook with 250 example purpose, mission, vision, and values statements. Leading by providing your contact information in the form below. Be sure to check out our how-to video where we walk through the creation process step-by-step!

Mission Statements

The mission statement defines an organization’s purpose or reason for being. It guides the day-to-day operations of the organization, communicates to external stakeholders the core solutions the organization provides in society and motivates employees toward a common near-to-medium term goal. In short, the mission statement paints a picture of who the company is and what the company does.

A good mission statement should only focus on what is most important to the organization. It should be brief, clear, informative, simple and direct. It should avoid elaborate language, clichés, and generalizations and it should emphasize outcomes and the people the organization is serving.

When writing a mission statement, consider the following questions:

• What do we do today?
• Who do we serve?
• What are we trying to accomplish?
• What impact do we want to achieve?
• LinkedIn : To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.
• Starbucks : To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.
• Twitter : To give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information, instantly, without barriers.
• TripAdvisor : To help people around the world plan and have the perfect trip.
• Tesla : To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.
• Sweetgreen : To inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food.

Best Practices Video Bâton Global's shares our secrets learned from helping organizations worldwide write winning Purpose, Mission, Vision and Value statements.

Download 250 Examples

Interested in viewing examples from other organizations? Download our collection of of 250 purpose, mission, vision, and values statements below:

Vision Statements

The vision statement describes the future of the organization. It reveals what the company aspires to be or hopes to achieve in the long-term. The vision statement is inspirational and motivational but also provides direction, mapping out where the organization is headed. In this regard, it serves as a guide for choosing current and future courses of action.

An effective vision statement should be concise, unambiguous, futuristic, realistic, aspirational and inspirational. It shouldn’t be generic but rather focus on outcomes specific to the organization.

 When writing a vision statement, consider these questions:

• Where are we going moving forward?
• What do we want to achieve in the future?
• What kind of future society do we envision?
• LinkedIn : To create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.
• GoDaddy : To radically shift the global economy toward independent entrepreneurial ventures.
• Wikimedia Foundation : Imagine a world in which every single human being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. That’s our commitment.
• Habitat for Humanity : A world where everyone has a decent place to live.
• SouthwestAirlines : To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.

Values Statements

The values statement highlights an organization’s core principles and philosophical ideals. It is used to both inform and guide the decisions and behaviors of the people inside the organization and signal to external stakeholders what’s important to the company. An organization’s core values shape daily culture and establish standards of conduct against which actions and decisions can be assessed.

A values statement should be memorable, actionable and timeless. The format of the values statement depends on the organizations; some organizations use one, two or three words to describe their core values while others provide a short phrase.

 When drafting a values statement, some questions to consider include:

• What do we stand for?
• What behaviors do we value over all else?
• How will we conduct our activities to achieve our mission and vision?
• How do we treat members of our own organization and community?
• Ownership mentality.
• Don’t optimize for the short term.
• We are all builders.
• Go the extra mile.
• Do what’s right.
• Be transparent.
• We commit to our craft.
• We minimize waste.
• We embrace differences.
• We dig deeper.
• We lead with optimism.

The mission, vision, and values statements are the guiding forces behind an organization. The mission statement communicates the purpose of the organization. The vision statement provides insight into what the company hopes to achieve or become in the future. The values statement reflects the organization’s core principles and ethics. Together, these statements provide strategic direction for an organization, informing current and future business strategies.

Learn how Bâton Global supports organizations in building lasting and impactful core commitments here .

‍ Download 250 Examples

Other helpful resources.

365 Careers, January 26, 2018, The mission, vision and values statements [video file].

Bain & Company, April 2, 2018, Mission and vision statements .

Diffen LLC, n.d., Mission statement vs. vision statement .

Paula Fernandes, May 4, 2018, What is a vision statement?

Linda Le Phan, April 12, 2018, How to define your company’s core values (37 experts share their advice) [blog].  

William A. Nelson & Paul B. Gardent, March/April 2011, " Organizational values statements ," Healthcare Executive, 56-59 .

Edward L. Powers, 2012, " Organizational mission statement guidelines revisited ," International Journal of Management & Information Systems , 16(4), 281-290.

Britt Skrabanek, August 19, 2018, Difference between vision and mission statements: 25 examples .

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How to Write a Vision Statement (With Examples, Tips, and Formulas)

This comprehensive guide will take you through the entire process of writing a well-thought-out and compelling business vision statement. 

Here’s what you will discover inside: 

• Why is a vision statement important for company goals?

Vision Statement vs Mission Statement: What’s the difference?

• Bad Vision Statements Examples (And What Makes Them Bad)

Helpful Tips for Writing your Vision Statement

• Fail-proof formula: Write your vision statement in 4 simple steps 
• Great Vision Statement Examples For Inspiration
• How to effectively communicate the company vision?

What is a Vision Statement?

In short, a vision statement describes the desired future state of a business within a 5-10 year timeframe and guides the direction of the business's efforts. It is essentially the future objectives of a business. The vision statement is also one of the key elements in a highly-effective business strategic plan.

Why is a vision statement important for company goals? 

We explained the real purpose of the vision statement  in this article , but here’s a quick reminder of what we're trying to achieve with a company vision statement:

• Improve the decision-making process by setting a 'limiter' that helps us to rule out strategic initiatives and opportunities which aren’t aligned with business long-term goals. 
• Make a succinct statement about what our organization is trying to achieve to help third parties such as investors or the media better understand us.
• Create a strong North Star that can guide and motivate employees even during difficult times if it is taken seriously.
• Develop an engaging vision statement that’s  one of the key elements  of thriving company culture. 

The bottom line is that a vision statement isn't just a nice-to-have. It should be included in every business plan and strategy discussion, especially during the strategic planning process , to ensure the organization and its departments stay aligned with its vision and don’t get sidetracked.

The most common mistake we see across the internet and with our clients is that most people do not understand the difference between a company's vision and mission. 

While we covered this a bit more in-depth  in this article , here’s a short recap: 

• A vision statement  describes a long-term, idealistic  state  of the FUTURE. 
• A mission statement  is a roadmap to a specific destination (your VISION) that explains how will you achieve it. 

Mistaking one for another can prevent an organization from reaching its full potential. 

So, while keeping this in mind, let’s look at some “vision” statements examples and analyze where they fit so you can avoid doing the same mistake when crafting your own vision statement.

Bad Vision Statements Examples (and why)

Here are some real-life examples of vision statements that, in our opinion, could do with a little tweaking. For each, we will explain what could be done better.

"Provide maximum value for our shareholders whilst helping our customers to fulfill their dreams."

If this was your vision statement  → Well, let’s hope it isn’t. That’s a classic mission statement example that describes HOW the company will achieve its vision. 

"Our company vision is to make every brand more inspiring and the world more intelligent by 2023."

If this was your vision statement  → You would want to make it more specific and relatable. Is it realistic that 'every brand' will use the services of this company? How about 'making the world more intelligent.' Can you be more specific on which brands? What does it mean to make the world more intelligent? Not to be too harsh though - there are strong elements here; 'making brands more inspiring' makes a lot of sense and has some depth.

"We aspire to be the most admired and valuable company in the world."

If this was your vision statement  → We would suggest you rethink your decision. Can you even make it more empty than it is? Which company doesn’t want to be the most admired and most valuable? Your vision statement should be more specific than that. 

"We are committed to achieving new standards of excellence by providing superior human capital management services and maximizing the potential of all stakeholders - clients, candidates, and employees - through the delivery of the most reliable, responsive ..." [and it goes on, but that's probably enough]...

If this was your vision statement  → you’d want to make sure it is less tangible and subjective. 'New standards of excellence'. 'Superior human capital management. 'Maximizing the potential'. There are simply far too many buzzwords, intangibles, and vagueness here for this to be either memorable or inspiring.

We are, of course, being rather harsh. But hopefully, the above examples illustrate well some of the pitfalls to avoid when creating your own vision.

Keep in mind that vision creation doesn't begin with sitting behind a desk and writing black on white. Reach out to your stakeholders and team members who will play a role in realizing the company's vision. Organize a workshop, or more if necessary, to brainstorm ideas and gather their feedback.

This toolkit with a template and workbook can help you with brainstorming exercises and navigating the whole process.

As a result, including other stakeholders in the vision-creation process will not only yield ideas but also get buy-in from the beginning since it will be their vision too. 

Here are 8 tips to help you write a memorable vision statement: 

• Keep it  short  - max 2 sentences. Your vision statement should be punchy and easy to remember. 
• Make it  specific  to your business and describe a unique outcome that only you can provide.
• Write it in the present tense. 
• Do not use words that are open to interpretation. Saying that you will maximize shareholder return in 2022 doesn't mean anything unless you specify what that means.
• Simple is best . There is a tendency for people to overcomplicate things, but you should make your vision clear enough for both people within and outside your organization to understand. Stay away from jargon, metaphors, and business buzzwords. 
• It should be  ambitious  enough to get people excited, but not so ambitious that it seems impossible to achieve.
• A vision statement isn't a one-off thing and  should evolve  with your business. When brainstorming your vision for the future, stick to a five-year timeframe. It's an ambitious end goal that's far enough ahead to work towards, but not too far for the organization to lose focus and commitment. 
• Vision  should align  with your company's core values. We go deeper into company values in this article, but when you have created your company values, you should review your vision to see if it aligns.

If anything, you should memorize these 4 words before you go into crafting your own vision statement:  Short, Specific, Simple , and  Ambitious .

Fail-proof formula: Write your vision statement in 4 simple steps

There are literally hundreds of articles out there that give examples of good and bad vision statements. There's also plenty of articles that give a high-level overview of what to consider when creating your own.

However, what we noticed was lacking was a concrete process to go through to help you create one. As such, we've outlined a process that we have used with clients in Cascade that might work for you too.

There are plenty of great vision statements out there that will not conform to the process below. But if you're struggling or just need a place to start, then hopefully this will help.

Step 1: Define what you do as an outcome

Start by being exceptionally clear about what it is your organization actually does. Be careful to remain 'outcome focused' rather than 'output focused'. For example, Microsoft famously had a vision statement to Put a Microsoft powered computer on every desk in the world (slightly paraphrased).

Strictly speaking, what Microsoft 'do' is make computer software, but for the purposes of their Vision, they looked forward to the actual outcome of this process - i.e. computers on desks.

Let's look at some other hypothetical examples:

• A bakery makes bread. But the outcome is consumers enjoying that bread.
• A consulting company gives advice. But the outcome is the success of others based on that advice.
• A government department does...lots of things. But the outcome is better lives for the citizens they serve.

Whilst this process may seem obvious - you would be surprised by how rarely organizations actually go through this process in a formal, written way.

Doing so will take you a long way towards creating your vision statement - BUT it's not enough alone! If it was, all bakeries, for example, would have the same vision statement - which is hardly inspiring!

TIP: If you are not sure where your organization wants to be in the future, you can use different tools, like SWOT or SOAR analysis , that will help you formulate your vision and future-oriented goals.

Step 2: Define what unique twist your organization brings to the above outcome

Very few products or services these days are truly new - most are more like reinventions of something that exists already, but with a different approach, focus or spin.

At some point in your organization's lifespan - someone will have believed that the reason that THIS organization would be successful where others have failed, was because of.........something.

You need to define that something!

Let's take our bakery example. So far, our vision statement looks pretty generic, along the lines of customers enjoying our bread. But why will they enjoy our bread MORE than the bread from the place next door?

Is it because we use centuries-old traditions passed through generations of our family? Because we only use premium grade locally sourced ingredients? Whatever your unique selling point is - let it shine through in your vision statement.

Step 3: Apply some high-level quantification

Ironically, a common problem with a vision statement that isn't as good is that it's too visionary! With no possible end in sight (or a totally unrealistic one) - the initial inspiration derived from a solid vision statement can quickly turn to frustration or even cynicism among employees and customers.

That said - this doesn’t mean you should put numbers or any financial metrics to your vision statement. This will come later in your planning process.

However, you still want to add some high-level quantification to make it achievable.

Sticking with our bakery example, we might want to refine our target audience to 'every customer who walks through the door'. That's fine, or maybe we want to be bolder: 'every customer within walking distance of a store'.

The quantification we apply could also be industry specific. If you're a B2B - are you shooting for small businesses or multinationals, for example?

Step 4: Add relatable, human, 'real world' aspects

OK, your vision statement by this point should be getting pretty close to finished. But one final trick you can apply to help make it even more memorable is to add a real-life aspect.

This will allow people to conjure up a solid mental image to associate with your vision statement.

Let's look at an example - which of the following statements is likely to be more memorable:

a) To have every working person in the world using Microsoft product.

b) A Microsoft-powered computer on every desk.

I would argue that (b) is more memorable because as I read this, I'm actually visualizing a computer (in my case) sitting on a wooden desk in a room.

There's nothing wrong with (a) but it's highly conceptual and thus difficult to transform into a mental picture. Let's look at another example:

"Ensure that every customer who leaves our store, does so smiling." 

Here, using the word 'smiling' as opposed to 'happy' is powerful, because it conjures a mental image of a person smiling.

It won't always be possible to bring this level of tangibility to a vision statement - but if it is, I would strongly encourage doing so.

Final check

Our tip for creating a good vision statement is to use our formula, which we explain below, in conjunction with the CASCADE vision framework. 

Ask yourself the following questions to check if your vision statement checks all boxes of a good vision: 

• Is it  C lear? 
• Is it  A mbitious, but not seemingly unattainable? 
• Is it  S timulating? 
• Is it  C oncise
• Is it too  A bstract? 
• D uration: Is it limited to a specific time range? 

Does it  E ncourage you to take action?

Great Vision Statement Examples for inspiration

First, let’s look at the vision statement on an example of the bakery we used in the previous section.

Following our 4-step process, the final vision statement looks like this:

Producing and selling locally sourced cakes and pies that are so delicious and satisfying , that every customer who leaves our store does so with a smile.

If we deconstruct this into our various steps, we can see each at work as follows:

Step 1 - The output Step 2 - The twist Step 3 - The quantification Step 4 - The human connection

Even if yours doesn't look like this at the end, following the process above will help you to bring structure and purpose to your effort.

Of course - there are other ways to write a well-thought-out and effective vision statement. So let’s look at some other examples of great vision that don’t match our vision statement formula but still make an engaging and memorable company vision: 

Vision statement: To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. 

Vision statement: To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.

Vision statement: A global force for Learning-through-Play. 

We love this one because it’s short, sweet and easy to remember. 

Vision statement: To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world's transition to electric vehicles.

Note: If you look closely, you’ll see that their vision statement is a mix of vision and mission statement. Let’s remember the difference between these two: Vision shows your business desired future state, while the company’s mission describes how you will get there. 

Cascade tip:  If you’re in doubt about what is a vision statement and what is a mission statement, do this simple test with two questions: 

• What do they want to achieve?  To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century…  (vision statement)
• How?  … by driving the world's transition to electric vehicles.  (mission statement)

Want to see more examples of a great vision statement? Check  this article with 17 vision statement examples  from top companies, such as Patagonia, Ikea, LinkedIn, and Disney. 

How to effectively communicate the company vision? 

Let's say you've finally crafted the perfect vision statement that makes everyone in the C-suite proud. Marketing updated the website, ran a PR, and posted across all company social media channels. The new direction is making waves in the company, but as time passes, everyone forgets about it and gets on with their business-as-usual. 

If you have a vision but take no action - your organization has no future. In other words, you need to keep the company's vision top of mind 24/7/365 if you want to achieve it. Consistent communication is the key to success.

Keep your vision statement in a place where everyone can see it on a daily basis.

You can start by including your vision in every company-wide meeting. Here at Cascade, we make sure to run the all-hands meeting every week. Here’s what our agenda usually looks like: 

• Drive alignment around company vision and overall strategy 
• Communicate the strategy priorities 
• Share updates and progress toward key business goals
• Celebrate our accomplishment 
• Establish two-way communication between employees and executives 

Turn your vision into a strategic advantage 

We have entered a new normal - an environment where change is the norm. You may have a top-flight board and a great executive team, but the success of your organization depends on your leadership. Your vision for the future needs to be clear and strong so people can understand it and join forces behind it.

In short, unity and a laser-sharp focus are what separate winning businesses from losers these days.

Cascade has your back, offering speedy and agile  business transformation  to help you align teams behind a shared vision and drive business growth.  See Cascade in action  to discover how you can turn your vision into reality.

Editor’s note:

This article was originally part of our ‘How to Write a Strategy’ series:

• How To Write A Strategic Plan: The Cascade Model
• How to Write a Good Vision Statement (This Article)
• How To Create Company Values
• Creating Strategic Focus Areas
• How To Write Strategic Objectives
• How To Create Effective Projects
• How To Write KPIs

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20 Powerful Vision Statement Examples for Success in 2023

What is a vision statement, how does a vision statement differ from a mission statement, examples of vision statements vs. mission statements, what are the key components of a good vision statement, things to avoid when writing a vision statement, how to write a vision statement in 5 steps, 5 best practices for writing a vision statement, top 20 vision statement examples, get started on your vision statement today, key takeaways.

• Vision statements convey an organization’s overarching future purpose.
• They clarify a company’s “why” while mission statements communicate “how.”
• Vision statements combine a company’s mission, core values, uniqueness, and goals.
• They serve as the company’s “north star” and guide all business actions. 

Starting a business can be an exciting undertaking, reaping many promises of reward and economic benefit. Amidst this motivation and excitement, the temptation to jump right in and get started can be overwhelming. Navigating the new waters of a business successfully, however, requires thoughtful planning and strategy. You can be easily knocked off-course by the waves of uncertainty if you don’t know where you’re going, even if you have some of the finest tools and sailors. 

In this article, learn to distinguish the importance of having a vision statement, mission statement, core values, goals, and strategy. Then, explore how to craft a powerful vision statement that fosters business success by learning from 20 examples of the world’s top companies. 

A vision statement is an organization’s guiding description of future objectives. The vision statement communicates what the organization’s existence strives to accomplish. Goals and strategies outlined within the mission statement lean on the vision statement for direction and alignment.

Vision statements are short, clear, and specific while conveying what makes the organization unique. Ultimately, vision statements serve to inspire employees to work together to achieve company goals by connecting to an organization’s core values. 

A vision statement communicates future aspirations. Where does the organization want to be in ten years? What is it that the organization is working toward achieving? Rather than providing detailed plans, vision statements serve as a light post that inspires and guides actions. 

Mission statements, by contrast, communicate tangible details and plans. Mission statements are grounded in the present, conveying the daily steps an organization promises to take to achieve the bigger vision. 

An organization’s mission statement, vision statement, goals, and strategy should all work in tandem to achieve a common outcome. 

While some may use the two terms interchangeably, a vision statement and a mission statement serve different purposes. Here are examples of each for three large companies. 

Vision Statement: “Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”

Mission Statement: “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

Vision Statement: “To make the best products on earth and to leave the world better than we found it.” 

Mission Statement: “To bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons, and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.”

Southwest Airlines

Vision Statement: “To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.”

Mission Statement: “To connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel.”

The purpose of a vision statement is to communicate an organization’s mission and direction to both internal and external stakeholders. To do this effectively, it must contain several key components.

A good vision statement:

• Defines an organization’s core focus.
• Reflects the organization’s new and existing core values.
• Provides direction for the organization.
• Inspires and excites employees and customers.
• Demonstrates what makes the organization unique.

To craft a powerful vision statement that is clear and compelling, avoid: 

• Trying to include everything.
• Making it too lengthy or wordy.
• Trying to be catchy or clever.
• Being generic or vague.
• Using buzzwords or cliché language. 

Ultimately, your vision statement should be as understandable and unique as your products and service are. Use concise but meaningful language to convey your organization’s unique vision of success.   

1. Get Clear on Your “Why”

Identifying your organization’s “why” for existing is the first step in determining how to create a vision . In Start with Why , leadership and business expert Simon Sinek shares, “Very few people or companies can clearly articulate why they do what they do. By why, I mean your purpose, cause, or belief.” Yet, identifying and articulating your organization’s purpose is critical to its success. This is because people connect—as consumers, partners, clients, or employees—with organizations they trust and understand. Without clarity of purpose, there can be no trust or understanding. 

Start determining your “why” by:

• Considering why you started or joined the organization; what do you want to accomplish?
• Thinking about the need you’re trying to fulfill. Is it a cultural need? Health need? Global need?
• Contemplating how you see working with others, the community, and partners to fulfill that need.
• Visualizing any improvements, movements, or shifts you’d like your organization to incite. 

For continued learning, read Start with Why: A Powerful Way to Lead with Purpose .

2. Visualize the Future

Practicing visualization is an incredible way to clarify an organization’s purpose. Once you’ve determined the “why,” set aside time to visualize that further. Brainstorming can be done in any manner, from letting words and ideas flow freely onto paper to journaling or meditating. No matter how you do it, making time for this step when writing a vision statement is crucial for understanding the path more deeply and intuitively. It also helps you practice inspiring leadership by allowing you to communicate to your team what brighter vision of the future they’re working toward.

Questions to ask yourself while visualizing:

• What do you want your organization to have accomplished in five years? Ten years?
• How do you see the phases or stages of achieving these things aligning?
• What is the impact you see yourself making on the local and global community?
• Who is involved? What does your team look like?
• Is the organizational culture light and fun? Efficient and diligent?
• What is it that sets your organization apart from the competition? How are you doing things differently?

3. Draft Your Statement

Once you have your “why” and ultimate clarity on the vision supporting it, it’s time to draft your vision statement. To do this, identify the three main points you want your statement to convey. What must be communicated about your organization’s vision? Picking only three points will help remove any unnecessary language while establishing the foundation of your statement. 

The vision statement for Adidas, for example, is “To be the design leaders with a focus on getting the best out of the athletes with performance-guaranteed products in the sports market globally.”

The three main points of this vision statement are:

• “To be leaders in performance design.”
• “To help athletes perform at their best.”
• “To be a global provider of performance products.”

Once you have your three main points, begin weaving them together. As you do, focus on remaining present, clear, and concise while avoiding jargon or unnecessary language. 

4. Revise for Clarity

Now that you have a draft of your business vision, examine it more closely. Is it clear to others? Does it effectively communicate your organization’s three main vision points? Are there any statements or words that can be eliminated without compromising the message? Taking time to sharpen your vision statement will help ensure it’s meaningful without being confusing. 

Tips for refining your vision statement:

• Have a mentor , colleague, or advisor review your statement and provide feedback.
• Organize a brainstorming session with others to dissect the statement collaboratively.
• Meet with members of your leadership team or executive board to get different perspectives.

5. Implement, Communicate, and Intentionally Restate It

Once your vision statement is finalized, begin putting it into action. Start by presenting the vision statement to team members and internal stakeholders. Then, communicate the company vision to external stakeholders and consumers. For your employees to align deeply with the vision, it must be part of daily, weekly, and quarterly conversations. There can’t be any question as to what the vision is. Ultimately, the more prevalent it is, the more powerful it will be. 

Tips for communicating your vision statement:

• Organize one-on-one meetings with employees to discuss it.
• Include it in any hiring and onboarding documents.
• Be sure it’s added to the company website and other important locations.
• Begin instituting policies and modeling behavior that supports the vision. 
• Schedule a company-wide meeting to share the statement and answer any questions.

While a vision statement can take on any format, there are a few specific traits that the most impactful statements have in common. Here are five best practices to consider.

• Be sure it includes your goals: What are your business goals ? Do they align with and support what’s in the vision statement? Be sure your goals and vision are cohesively working together. 
• Keep it short and impactful: Successful vision statements are straight and to the point. Keep it precise by avoiding too much detail or “fluff” language. 
• Orient it toward the future: Mission statements are about the here and now, but a vision statement should be set in the future. What is the future state you’re trying to achieve?
• Make it inspirational: Does your statement inspire and excite? Is it confident and empowering? The best vision statements incite action and investment, no matter how ambitious they may sound. 
• Give it stability: A successful vision statement will withstand economic, technological, or cultural challenges. Make sure your statement is sturdy and can apply long-term. 

Reading the vision statements of successful businesses is a great way to glean inspiration for crafting your own. Here are 20 powerful company vision examples to explore. 

“Reddit is the world’s largest and best platform for online communities to share and connect.”

“To be a cultural platform where professional creators can break free of their medium’s constraints and where everyone can enjoy an immersive artistic experience that enables us to empathize with each other and to feel part of a greater whole.”

3. Make-A-Wish

“That people everywhere will share the power of a wish.”

“To inspire tomorrow’s creators to use technology to build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and the world.”

“To build Calm into one of the most valuable and meaningful brands of the 21st century.”

“To help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.”

“To make the movement and management of money as simple, secure, and affordable as possible.”

“To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.”

9. Facebook

“Giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

“To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”

“Spread ideas.”

12. Netflix

“Becoming the best global entertainment distribution service.”

13. Habitat for Humanity

“A world where everyone has a decent place to live.”

“To make people happy.”

“To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

16. Pandora Music

“To enrich people’s lives by enabling them to enjoy music they know and discover music they’ll love, anytime, anywhere.”

“To make Target the preferred shopping destination for our guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation, and exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less. Brand Promise.”

18. Planet Fitness

“To provide a workout environment in which anyone and everyone can be comfortable.”

19. Audible

“We will build a new medium that will redefine and enhance the nature of spoken information, education, entertainment, and other modes of verbal expression we will help create ourselves.”

“Make work-life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive.”

“Business as usual produces predictable results. But if you want something fresh, something new, that takes vision. Greatness only happens by design.” Michael Hyatt , The vision driven leader

Getting started on your vision statement can feel like a daunting task. However, approaching it piece by piece can help you generate clarity and momentum. Using questions and prompts can be a great way to dive in.

To begin crafting your business vision, fill in the blanks on these questions:

• “Our organization will know that the vision became a reality when ___________.”
• “People will be better able to ____________ with our vision.”
• “The world will be __________________ if our vision is achieved.”
• “The organization is committed to ________________ to achieve the vision.”
• “We expect to achieve this vision statement within ______ years.” 

As Simon Sinek shares , “For me, vision is about just cause—a cause so just that we would willingly sacrifice in order to help advance this cause.” What greater cause do you want your organization to have an impact on?

As you begin crafting your vision statement, remember and integrate your core values. For more insight on values, read “ What Are Ethical Values in Business? ”

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Small Business Trends

What is a vision statement and how to write one (+examples and template).

If you buy something through our links, we may earn money from our affiliate partners. Learn more .

A vision statement is an integral part of the foundation of any business. A well-crafted vision statement should be inspiring, meaningful, and easy to remember while clarifying the organization’s ambitions and values.

In this article, we will examine what exactly a vision statement is, explore how to write one effectively, and provide access to examples and templates to help you get started. Let’s dive in!

Table of Contents

What is a Vision Statement?

A company vision statement is a crucial element in defining an organization’s identity and aspirations. It is an important cornerstone that informs a company’s strategy, operations, and culture. Here is an expanded explanation of what a vision statement is:

• Declaration of Purpose : A vision statement is a declaration of an organization’s mission and purpose. It outlines the company’s primary objectives and provides an overview of its ultimate goals. This helps inform all business decisions and strategies, ensuring that they align with the company’s purpose.
• Represents Brand Values : The vision statement embodies the brand values that the organization upholds. It communicates what the company stands for and believes in, helping to establish its reputation and image in the eyes of stakeholders.
• Identifies Desired End State : A vision statement clearly identifies the desired end-state of the business. It describes where the company aspires to be in the future, serving as a beacon to guide all its efforts.
• Road Map for Future Goals : The vision statement acts as a road map for how to achieve the organization’s future goals. It’s not overly specific, leaving room for innovation and adaptation as the business environment changes. This general but forward-looking nature distinguishes it from a business plan, which tends to be more detailed and specific.
• Inspires and Motivates : An effective vision statement is inspiring, motivating employees, customers, and stakeholders alike. It paints an optimistic picture of the company’s future, stirring enthusiasm and commitment among those associated with the company.
• Provides Direction and Clarity : A vision statement provides direction and clarity to stakeholders, helping them understand what the company aims to achieve in the long run. This clear sense of direction can be a powerful tool in decision making and strategy formulation.
• Brief and Memorable : Ideally, a vision statement should be brief and memorable so that it can be easily communicated and understood. This ensures that it remains at the forefront of everyone’s mind, acting as a constant reminder of the company’s ultimate goals.

When you write a business plan , it should be more detailed and concrete, providing the specific steps your company will take to achieve the goals outlined in your vision statement. It should articulate the path towards the company’s vision, outlining the strategies, tactics, and resources needed to get there. Thus, a vision statement is not only a reflection of a company’s aspirations but also a key component that shapes its future actions and strategies.

How to Write a Vision Statement

Writing a vision statement can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step and equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to write an effective, inspiring vision statement.

Step 1: Identify Your Goals

The first step in writing a vision statement is to identify your long-term goals for the company. You may refer to your business plan, mission, and personal brand statement for ideas. The following questions can also help you identify relevant points. What do you want to achieve? What does success look like three, five, or ten years from now? These questions will help you define the core purpose of your business.

It’s also important to consider any short-term objectives or milestones that have been set. You may find that some objectives are more achievable than others and must be adjusted accordingly. By taking this into account, you can create a realistic yet ambitious vision statement that will keep everyone motivated throughout the journey.

Step 2: Gather Input From Others

Once you’ve identified your goals, it’s time to get input from other stakeholders in the company such as employees, customers, and shareholders. Ask them what they think should be included in the vision statement and how they would like to see their individual contributions reflected in it.

Gathering input from others helps provide perspective on different aspects of your business and ensures that everyone is working towards the same end goal.

Step 3: Write It Down

Now comes the fun part – writing down your vision statement! Start by summarizing what you’ve learned so far such as what are your core values as a business, who are your customers, what you offer them, and where you want to go in the future.

Be sure to use concise language that speaks directly to these topics, as well as evokes emotion by showcasing why this journey matters for both yourself and those involved with you along the way.

Step 4: Finalize & Publish Your Vision Statement

When crafting and editing your vision statement, make sure it’s something you can easily explain and believe in wholeheartedly. This is key for providing direction when making decisions down the line.

Once finalized, don’t forget to share it with all stakeholders so that everyone knows what lies ahead and how they can contribute towards achieving those goals. By keeping the vision statement visible and alive, it will serve as a reminder of the company’s purpose and inspire everyone to keep pushing forward.

Vision Statement Template

A vision statement template provides a framework for creating an inspiring and effective vision statement. It asks questions about your company’s goals, values, and intended audience to help you create a statement that is meaningful and motivating.

Once you have answered the questions in the template, you can fill in the necessary sections in the template below to form the statement itself.

Our vision is to (describe goal/long-term objective) , while providing (describe services provided) , as well as striving towards (describe values) . We will inspire our (audience) by upholding our commitment to (list specific objectives or values) , ultimately leading to our success in achieving (key results or desired outcomes) .

22 Vision Statement Examples

How are some of the world’s most successful organizations defining their own visions? What do you think of their inspiring vision statements?

Check out the following 22 examples of good vision statements from famous companies that you can use as inspiration to create your own vision statement:

Ikea’s vision statement reads , “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.”

2. Linkedin

In its vision statement, LinkedIn defines what sets the company apart from other social media platforms when it says , “Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”

3. Patagonia

Patagonia’s vision statement states : “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”

The Ford Motor Company’s vision statement says , “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership.”

5. Southwest Airlines

Southwest’s vision statement states , “To be the world’s most loved, most efficient, and most profitable airline.”

Tesla’s vision statement reads, “Create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”

7. San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo’s vision statement says, “To become a world leader at connecting people to wildlife and conservation.”

8. The Nature Conservancy

The Nature Conservancy’s vision statement looks to the company’s future and encompasses its values : “To leave a sustainable world for future generations.”

9. AT&T

AT&T’s vision statement reads , “To build a new global communications network that allows human resources to reallocate to more complex and productive activities – within a decade.”

10. Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson uses the following vision statement to inspire healthier communities: “For every person to use their unique experiences and backgrounds, together – to spark solutions that create a better, healthier world.”

The BBC ‘s vision statement is short and sweet: “To be the most creative organization in the world.”

12. Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s defines its core values in the following mission statement: “Making the best ice cream in the nicest possible way.”

Short Business Vision Statement Examples

Creating a strong and concise vision statement can be difficult, even though the companies on our list make it look easy.

Here are some short business vision statement examples that you can use to model your own unique vision statement.

13. Feeding America

Feeding America’s short business vision statement describes the organization’s efforts: “A hunger-free America.”

The TED organization presents the world’s information and uses a short vision statement: “Spread ideas.”

Zoom’s short vision statement reads , “Video communications empowering people to accomplish more.”

Oxfam’s vision statement is simple and describes the company’s commitment: “A just world without poverty.”

17. Whole Foods

Whole Foods’ inspiring vision statement says , “To nourish people and the planet.”

In its vision statement, the world’s premier entertainment company says its vision is, “To be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.”

Amazon’s vision statement shows the company isn’t afraid to dream big; it reads, “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

IBM uses a vision statement detailing its overarching vision, saying, “To be the world’s most successful and important information technology company. Successful in helping our customers apply technology to solve their problems. Successful in introducing this extraordinary technology to new customers. Important because we will continue to be the basic resource of much of what is invested in this industry.”

21. McDonald’s

McDonald’s vision statement describes its values : “To move with velocity to drive profitable growth and become an even better McDonald’s serving more customers delicious food each day around the world.”

22. Warby Parker

The Warby Parker vision statement confirms the company’s direction is to offer designer eyewear; it reads, “We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket. We also believe that everyone has the right to see.”

Why Vision Statements are so Important for Businesses

A vision statement is undeniably one of the vital parts of a strategic planning process in business. It serves as the guiding light, providing both direction and energy to all business operations. Here are the reasons why a vision plan is so important for businesses:

• Clear Direction : A vision statement provides a clear direction of where the organization wants to go. It outlines the end goal, helping employees understand the path the company is taking and align their individual efforts accordingly.
• Guidance and Motivation : Vision statements offer guidance to employees, stakeholders, and even customers about the long-term objectives of the organization. They are inspirational, meant to encourage and motivate everyone involved with the company.
• Foundation for Marketing Plan : A vision statement can serve as the basis for your company’s marketing plan . It can inform branding, messaging, and strategic initiatives, ensuring your marketing efforts are aligned with your company’s future goals.
• Informs the Action Plan : A vision statement supports the company’s action plan. By clarifying the ultimate goal, it ensures that all new initiatives and strategies are supporting the company’s vision. This helps maintain coherence and focus in the business operations.
• Decision-Making Tool : Having a vision statement simplifies decision-making processes. When faced with options, the question becomes, “Which choice better aligns with our vision?” This can prevent the company from straying off course or getting distracted by short-term gains.
• Sets Expectations and Energizes Teams : A strong vision statement creates a sense of purpose, stimulates commitment, and energizes teams to work towards the set vision. It can help in building a unified team working in sync for a common goal.
• Enhances Business Growth and Success : A well-defined vision statement sets the stage for business growth and success. It helps in identifying opportunities, improving performance, and inspiring innovation, all crucial for the company’s expansion and profitability.

Thus, having a well-crafted vision statement is not just a good practice, but a necessity for any business aiming for long-term success. It serves as a constant reminder of what the company wants to achieve, steering all business operations in the same direction.

Mission Statement Vs Vision Statement

The company mission statement and the vision statement are two distinct concepts, but both mission and vision statements have one major thing in common – they are each used to define the future goals and values of a business.

A company’s mission statement describes what an organization does in the present day, while a vision statement outlines an ambitious goal for what it wishes to achieve in the next five to ten years.

Both vision and mission statements should be concise, inspiring, and achievable, enabling everyone in the organization to share a unified purpose and move forward together toward success.

Characteristics of Amazing Vision Statements

A vision statement is a guiding document that helps to articulate the future aspirations of an organization.

For example, the Starbucks vision statement is “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.” A great vision statement should have four key characteristics:

Clarity is essential when crafting a compelling vision statement. It should communicate what the organization wants to accomplish in an easy-to-understand manner, avoiding any complex language or jargon.

Clarity allows everyone involved in the organization to clearly comprehend the what, why, and how of the statement and serves as a rallying cry for all stakeholders. A clear, concise, and compelling vision statement can help shape the direction of an organization for the better.

Having a focused vision statement is essential for any organization’s future aspirations. It should define the specific goals and objectives of the organization, and how they plan to achieve them.

It should also help make sure that everyone involved in the organization is on the same page and working towards a shared goal.

A focused vision statement should be detailed enough for people to understand what their role is in contributing to the success of the organization, but broad enough to leave room for growth and development.

Inspiration

Inspiration is a key component of an amazing vision statement. It allows the reader to get an idea of what the company stands for and why they are striving to reach its goals.

A great vision statement should inspire and motivate people to take action, while also providing a clear sense of direction. Inspiration can come from the company values, or from stories of real-world successes.

When done correctly, inspiring statements can help build trust and strengthen relationships between consumers and businesses.

Feasibility

Feasibility is an important characteristic of an amazing vision statement. The statement should be realistic and achievable, while still pushing the boundaries of what is possible.

The vision must have a balance between ambition and practicality to ensure that it will be taken seriously by stakeholders. It must also align with the company’s current capabilities and resources in order to be believable.

In addition, it should address any potential obstacles that may occur on the way to achieving the goals set by the vision.

Tips on How to Write a Good Vision Statement

How can you describe your entire business’s vision in just a few words? It is possible to create the perfect vision statement for your small business with creativity, focus, and effort. The following few tips for writing a vision statement should help:

• Don’t be afraid to dream big and focus on the future of your organization. What can the company be in the years to come? What do you want to be known for?
• Ensure that your vision statement reflects the core values and ethos of your business. It should be a true representation of what your business stands for and its fundamental beliefs.
• Make it memorable and bring inspiration. What sets your organization apart from the competition? Be sure and highlight what makes your small business unique, and choose a language that inspires those within the organization to achieve its goals.
• Highlight the impact you want your business to have on your customers, community, or even the world. This adds depth to your vision, showing that your goals extend beyond just profitability.
• While it’s important to dream big, your vision should still be within the realm of possibility. It should challenge and motivate your team but remain achievable.
• input from your employees or team members. Their insights can provide different perspectives and help craft a vision statement that resonates with everyone in the organization.
• Consider what makes your business different and superior to competitors. Your vision statement should mirror these unique aspects, setting you apart in the industry.
• Choose clear and specific language . Dreaming big doesn’t have to mean being vague, and the perfect vision statement should be specific enough to influence future decisions. Remember, you aren’t talking about the past, so be sure and write the vision statement in the present tense.
• Consider how you want your business to be remembered in the long term. A good vision statement often encapsulates the legacy you aim to leave.
• Your vision statement should be dynamic enough to evolve as your business grows and adapts to changing market conditions or customer needs.
•  After drafting your vision statement, test it with a small group of stakeholders. Gather feedback and refine the statement to ensure it clearly communicates your intended message and resonates with your audience.
• Keep it short . The best vision statements are not longer than a sentence or two, and many of the most memorable consist of just a few words.

Final Words

A well-crafted vision statement is a key component of any successful business. It outlines an inspiring goal that everyone in the organization can strive toward, provides guidance for decision-making, and helps to ensure that initiatives are focused on achieving the ultimate mission.

With some planning and creativity, anyone can craft a great vision statement using examples or templates as a starting point. When done right, it can ignite passion and motivation in employees and stakeholders alike – setting your business up for success.

However, if done incorrectly and without the proper care and consideration, it can do the opposite. So, take your time and create something that you and everyone else in your organization can believe in.

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35 Vision And Mission Statement Examples That Will Inspire Your Buyers

Published: February 28, 2024

Why do you choose to buy products and services from certain brands even when cheaper options exist? It often comes down to a compelling brand mission — like these 35 mission statement examples.

Brands use a mission statement to express their values. As consumers, we like to patronize businesses that have values we believe in.

A strong mission statement makes it easy for consumers to understand your values and feel confident purchasing from you.

Still, loyalty doesn’t happen overnight. Building brand loyalty, like creating mission and vision statements, takes time. You may just find the inspiration that you need in someone else’s mission statement, so we’ve gathered 35 example mission statements to help make your research easy.

If you’re in a bit of a time crunch, use this table of contents to find precisely what you’re looking for to inspire the development of your company’s mission.

Table of Contents

What is a mission statement?

How to write a mission statement, what is a vision statement.

• Mission vs Vision Statements

Mission and Vision Statement Template

Best mission statement examples.

• Best Vision Statements Examples

A mission statement is a simple statement about the goals, values, and objectives of an organization. A mission statement summarizes why a business exists and helps a company respond to change and make decisions that align with its vision.

This brief description helps customers, employees, and leadership understand the organization’s top priorities.

An effective mission statement will naturally change over time. As a company grows, it may reach its early goals, and they’ll change. It’s important to revise mission statements as needed to reflect the business’s new culture as it achieves its goals and develops new targets.

What makes a good mission statement?

A great mission statement combines physical, emotional, and logical elements into one exceptional customer (and employee) experience that you value as much as they do. A good mission statement will not only explain your brand’s purpose but will also foster a connection with customers.

When your brand creates a genuine connection with customers and employees, they’ll stay loyal to your company, thereby increasing your overall profitability.

Mission statements also help you stand out in the marketplace, differentiating your brand from the competition.

I’ve personally observed that there’s more brand recognition for companies when consumers think they have an important mission.

When wearing a pair of TOMS shoes, I’ve noticed that people comment more on my shoes than when I’m wearing Converse or Nike shoes (which are both more well-known brands). TOMS famously created the One for One® model, where they vowed to donate one pair of shoes for every one purchased.

A memorable company mission makes your product more noteworthy.

What are the three parts of a mission statement?

Your mission statement should clearly express what your brand does, how it does it, and why the brand does it. You can quickly sum this up in your mission statement by providing the following:

• Brand purpose. What does your product or service do or aim to offer and for whom?
• Brand values. What does your company stand for? For example, are you environmentally conscious and provide a more sustainable solution to solve a problem? Values are what make your company unique.
• Brand goals. What does your company accomplish for customers? Why should they purchase from you instead of other competitors?

With these three components, you can create a mission that is unique to your brand and resonates with potential customers. Next, we’ll guide you step by step on how to write a proper mission statement to build on as your company evolves.

You understand the importance of a well-crafted mission statement that effectively summarizes a company’s purpose, but how do you write one? Let’s look at the steps to write a good mission statement, and then we’ll dive into mission statement examples to inspire your creativity.

• Explain your company’s product or service offering.
• Identify the company’s core values.
• Connect how your company’s offering aligns with your values.
• Condense these statements into one.
• Refine your mission statement.

1. Explain your company’s product or service offering.

A good mission statement helps prospects understand what your company does in a literal sense. This means explaining your offering in basic, clear terms. Your explanation should answer the most basic questions like:

• Are you selling a product or service?
• Why would customers buy it?
• How does your offering solve for the customer?

Record your answers and focus on how your product or service brings value to your buyer personas , otherwise known as your target audience.

2. Identify the company’s core values.

Now, this is where you can start thinking bigger. You didn’t just make a product or service at random. Instead, you’re most likely motivated by a set of core values . This is particularly important for socially conscious businesses and brands that care about well-being.

Core values are deeply ingrained principles that guide a company’s actions. Take HubSpot’s culture code, HEART , for example:

• Empathetic.
• Remarkable.
• Transparent.

These are principles that not only company employees respect but are principles that our customers appreciate as well. By identifying core values that hold meaning on personal and organizational levels, you’ll have an appealing set to add to your mission statement.

3. Connect how your company’s offering aligns with your values.

So, how can your company offering serve your core values? You need to draw a connection between the two in a way that makes sense to the public.

For example, if one of your core values centers on innovation, you want to frame your product or service as pushing boundaries and explaining how it helps customers innovate their lives or business practices. Essentially, you’re taking the literal benefit of the offering and expanding it to serve a higher purpose.

4. Condense these statements into one.

A mission statement can be as short as a single sentence or as long as a paragraph, but it’s meant to be a short summary of your company’s purpose. You need to state the what, who, and why of your company:

• What — The company offering.
• Who — Who you’re selling to.
• Why — The core values you do it for.

Condense this to be between one and three sentences long. At this stage of development, it’s often helpful to write several mission statement drafts to help process ideas and experiment.

Once you have successfully conveyed your brand’s message, it’s time to refine and perfect your mission statement.

5. Refine your mission statement.

Above all, your mission statement stands as a marketing asset that is meant to be:

• Free of fluff.

Your mission statement should clearly outline the purpose of your company offering, capture the company spirit, and show the common goals the company is working to achieve.

Have other team members or advisors read your mission statement draft and make adjustments if needed according to their recommendations. This is normally a slow process for brands, and I’ll share ideas and company mission statement examples in a moment to help inspire creativity in the writing process.

A vision statement is aspirational and expresses your brand’s plan or “vision” for the future and potential impact on the world. They often serve as a guide for a brand’s future goals and explain why customers and employees should stick around for the long haul.

What makes a good vision statement?

A good vision statement should be bold and ambitious. It’s meant to be an inspirational, big-picture declaration of what your company strives to be in the future. It gives customers a peek into your company’s trajectory and builds customer loyalty by allowing them to align their support with your vision because they believe in the future of your brand as well.

What are the three parts of a vision statement?

Your company vision is meant to be inspirational while also aligning with the company’s mission. A vision statement should have the following characteristics:

• Aspirational and ambitious. Have a lofty outlook for what you want your business to accomplish? Here’s the place to put it. Your vision statement should be aspirational and showcase how your business will grow in the future.
• Practical and achievable. While your statement should be ambitious, it shouldn’t be impossible. Set a goal that is both challenging and practical.
• General. Your vision should be broad enough to encompass all of your brand’s overall goals. Think of it as an umbrella for your mission statement and company objectives to nest under.

Both mission and vision statements are often combined into one comprehensive “mission statement” to define the organization’s reason for existing and its outlook for internal and external audiences — like employees, partners, board members, consumers, and shareholders.

The difference between mission and vision statements lies in the purpose they serve.

Mission Statement vs. Vision Statement

A mission statement clarifies what the company wants to achieve, who they want to support, and why they want to support them. On the other hand, a vision statement describes where the company wants a community, or the world, to be as a result of the company’s services.

Thus, a mission statement is a roadmap for the company’s vision statement.

A mission statement is a literal quote stating what a brand or company is setting out to do. This lets the public know the product and service it offers, who it makes it for, and why it’s doing it. A vision statement is a brand looking toward the future and saying what it hopes to achieve through its mission statement. This is more conceptual, as it’s a glimpse into what the brand can become in the eyes of the consumer and the value it will bring in the long term.

In summary, the main differences between a mission statement and a vision statement are:

• Mission statements describe the current purpose a company serves. The company’s function, target audience, and key offerings are elements that are often mentioned in a mission statement.
• Vision statements are a look into a company’s future or what its overarching vision is. The same elements from the mission statement can be included in a vision statement, but they’ll be described in the future tense.

Now that we know what they are, let’s dive into some useful examples of each across different industries.

100 Mission Statement Examples & Templates

Mission statements from 100 companies and templates to create one for your business.

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100 examples and templates of mission statements to help you build your own.

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What Is a Vision Statement?

Table of Contents

Writing a vision statement for your business can be challenging because it must define your company, values and future goals. While many established companies focus on their mission statement , a vision statement is a valuable tool for inspiring your team and forging a corporate identity. 

We’ll explore vision statements and their importance, as well as offer tools and best practices for crafting an inspiring vision statement that powers your growth strategy. 

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a written declaration clarifying your business’s meaning and purpose for stakeholders, especially employees. It describes the desired long-term results of your company’s efforts. For example, an early Microsoft vision statement was “a computer on every desk and in every home.” 

“A company vision statement reveals, at the highest levels, what an organization most hopes to be and achieve in the long term,” said Katie Trauth Taylor, owner and CEO of Untold Content, a writing consultancy. “It serves a somewhat lofty purpose – to harness all the company’s foresight into one impactful statement.” 

A vision statement matters because it outlines the common goal of everyone in the company. Businesses that are working toward a higher aspiration are more appealing to current and future employees. 

A vision statement can affect a company’s long-term success, so take the time to craft one that synthesizes your ambition and mobilizes your staff.

A vision statement can increase employee engagement while making it easier to hire new employees for a cultural fit .

What’s the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?

Mission statements are based in the present and convey to stakeholders and community members why a business exists and where it currently stands. Vision statements are future-based, and they are meant to inspire and give direction to employees. 

“The vision is about your goals for the future and how you will get there, whereas the mission is about where you are now and why you exist,” said Paige Arnof-Fenn, founder and CEO of Mavens & Moguls, a global strategic marketing consulting firm. “The vision should motivate the team to make a difference and be part of something bigger than themselves.” 

Mission statements and vision statements are both crucial for building a brand . “While a mission statement focuses on the purpose of the brand, the vision statement looks to the fulfillment of that purpose,” said Jessica Honard, co-CEO of North Star Messaging + Strategy, a copywriting and messaging firm that serves entrepreneurs. 

Although mission and vision statements should be core elements of your organization, a vision statement should serve as your company’s guiding light. 

“A vision is aspiration; a mission is actionable,” said Jamie Falkowski, chief creative officer at marketing and communications company Day One Agency.

Creating the perfect vision statement may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these suggestions and best practices when crafting your vision statement. 

Determine who will shape your vision. 

The first step in writing a vision statement is determining who will craft it. In a small business, you may be able to ask everyone for their insight. In a larger operation, you may need to be more selective while still capturing a range of employee voices.

Evaluate your company’s published materials. 

Your company likely already has published goals and established values in its employee handbook , marketing materials and other publications. Use this information to guide your work, suggested Alison Brehme, an author and content, marketing and media strategist.

“A company’s mission, purpose, goals and values are all involved in the creation of a company vision,” Brehme said. “Weave these concepts and beliefs into your vision statement.”

Hold workshops to brainstorm your vision. 

Brandon Shockley, former vice president of market research at branding and marketing firm 160over90 and now head of investor research and insights at Vanguard, recommended hosting workshops with key stakeholders representing a cross-section of your organization. Then, he said, assemble teams and use collaboration tools to create alternate versions of the statement, and gather employee feedback about how each version resonates. 

Get individual input. 

Falkowski also suggested conducting interviews with individual stakeholders to encourage honest feedback. Employees can identify common themes, describe the organization’s future in words or use visual branding tools as a basis for the vision statement. 

Check out competitors’ vision statements. 

Look at your competitors’ vision statements to determine how you can differentiate your business from theirs. [Related article: How to Do a Competitive Analysis ]

Keep it short but meaningful. 

A vision statement should be concise – no longer than a sentence or two. You want your entire organization to be able to repeat it quickly and, more importantly, understand it. However, a vision statement must be more than a catchy tagline.

“[It] can be smart and memorable, but this is for your team and culture, not for selling a specific product,” Falkowski said. 

Create a longer version for leadership’s eyes only. 

Don’t fret if you feel that a short vision statement doesn’t fully express the intricacies of your vision. You can create a longer version, but it should not be the one you broadcast to the world.

“Let’s be honest – most business leaders, not to mention boards of directors, won’t be able to sum up their vision in a pithy sentence or two. That’s OK,” said Shannon DeJong, owner of brand agency House of Who. “Have a full-length version of your vision for the leadership’s eyes only. Think of the long version as your reference guide to why you’re in business in the first place.” 

Map out your business’s biggest goals. 

When you’re crafting your vision statement, start by mapping out your business’s most audacious goals, Taylor suggested. “Reviewing your long-term goals in a collaborative setting will help you then zoom out on what your organization and the world will look like if you achieve them. That zoomed-out view of your success is really the heart of your vision statement.”

Consider your company’s potential global impact. 

Ask questions that reflect your business’s eventual scale and impact, Honard advised. “Once you’ve answered these questions, you’ve created a roadmap between your present and your future.”

These are a few of the questions Honard uses in guiding clients to identify their vision statement:

• What ultimate impact do I want my brand to have on my community, my industry or the world?
• In what way will my brand ultimately interact with customers and clients?
• What will the culture of my business look like, and how will that play out in employees’ lives? 

Dream big. 

Don’t be afraid to dream big once you gather all the information and get down to writing. Don’t worry about practicality for now; what initially looks impossible may be achieved down the road with the right team and technologies. Work on shaping a vision statement that reflects the specific nature of your business and its aspirations. 

Be daring, not generic. 

Shockley said there’s nothing wrong with a vision statement that is daring, distinct or even disagreeable. “If a vision statement sets out a generic goal that anyone can agree with, it is likely to produce mediocre results. A goal like ‘delivering an exceptional experience’ applies equally to a hospital, bank or fitness club.” 

Consider creating a brand vision board. 

If you’re interested in taking your vision one step further, create a brand vision board, Taylor suggested. A vision board includes your company’s tagline, a “who we are” statement, a “what we do” section, a business vision statement, an overview of your ideal clients, client pain points, your content mission statement, advertising, products and SEO keywords.

“A vision board serves as a one-page business plan that anyone in a company can reference quickly to remember the key concepts that drive the work,” Taylor said.

Quick tips for your vision statement

Here’s a quick breakdown of what to do when formalizing your vision statement:

• Project five to 10 years into the future.
• Dream big, and focus on success.
• Use the present tense.
• Use clear, concise, jargon-free language.
• Infuse it with passion, and make it inspiring.
• Align it with your business values and goals.
• Create a plan to communicate your vision statement to your employees.
• Prepare to commit time and resources to the vision you establish. 

Your completed vision statement should offer a clear idea of your company’s path forward. Honard said many of her clients have used their vision statements to direct their overall plans for the future. For example, they’ve adopted new marketing initiatives to move them closer to their vision, pivoted their focus to clearly reflect their desired outcome, or doubled down on one particular aspect of their brand that is working to serve their vision.

When you’re setting business goals and taking actionable steps to achieve them, take time to visualize what your goal achievement will look like.

What to avoid when writing a vision statement

• Don’t mix up your mission statement and vision statement. Mission statements are generally easier to write because they reflect what you’re doing now. Remember, a mission statement is what you are working to accomplish today, while a vision statement is what you want to accomplish in the future.
• Don’t overthink your wording. One of the hardest parts of creating a vision statement is coming up with the right wording. You may find yourself endlessly rewriting and fretting about getting it right. Does this sentence or two define your values and shine a light on your corporate identity without sounding too vague? Don’t get lost in the pressure of perfect wording; a specific and unique vision statement is a good place to begin distinguishing your business from the rest of the industry. 

How to use your vision statement

Determine where your vision statement will appear and what role it will serve in your organization. This will make the process more than an intellectual exercise, Shockley said. It’s pointless to hang a vision statement in the lobby or promote it via your business’s social media channels if you never genuinely integrate it into your company culture . 

“The vision business statement should be thought of as part of your strategic plan,” Shockley said. “It is an internal communications tool that helps align and inspire your team to reach the company’s goals.” 

As such, you should view a vision statement as a living document that will be revisited and revised. Most importantly, it must speak directly to your employees. 

“If your employees don’t buy into the vision, you’ll never be able to carry it out,” said Keri Lindenmuth, director of marketing with the Kyle David Group, a web and tech solutions provider. “The vision statement should be something your employees believe in. Only then will they make decisions and take actions that reflect your business’s vision.”

Help employees take ownership of the vision by asking them to identify ways they could incorporate the vision statement into their daily jobs. Reward employees with cool job perks when you catch them exemplifying the vision.

20 examples of inspiring vision statements

Some memorable and distinct vision statements may be all the inspiration you need to write your own. Here are some of the best examples of inspiring vision statements: 

• Amazon: “Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
• Ben & Jerry’s: “Making the best ice cream in the nicest possible way.”
• Caterpillar: “Our vision is a world in which all people’s basic needs – such as shelter, clean water, sanitation, food, and reliable power – are fulfilled in an environmentally sustainable way, and a company that improves the quality of the environment and the communities where we live and work.”
• Cradles to Crayons: “Provides children from birth through age 12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need to thrive – at home, at school, and at play.”
• Google: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”
• Habitat for Humanity: “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.”
• Hilton Hotels & Resorts: “To fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time.”
• IKEA: “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”
• Intel: “If it’s smart and connected, it’s best with Intel.”
• LinkedIn: “Create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.”
• Oxfam: “To be a self-organized people actively creating a just democratic and sustainable world where power and resources are shared, everyone lives in dignity, and poverty and inequality are no more.”
• Patagonia: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
• Prezi: “To reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories, and inspire their audiences to act.”
• Samsung: “Shape the future with innovation and intelligence.”
• Southwest Airlines: “To become the world’s most loved, most flown and most profitable airline.”
• Sweetgreen: “To inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food.”
• TED: “We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives, and, ultimately, the world.”
• Walgreens: “To be America’s most-loved pharmacy-led health, well-being and beauty company.”
• Warby Parker: “We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun.”
• Wyeth: “Our vision is to lead the way to a healthier world.”

Often, the hardest part of creating a vision statement is coming up with wording that truly defines your values and shines a light on your corporate identity without sounding too vague.

Can vision statements change?

Many companies benefit from having a vision statement from their inception, but it’s perfectly acceptable not to commit to one specific vision immediately. 

“Getting too tied into one master statement can really mess with the learning and creation process in the early stages,” said Sonia Elyss, president of marketing and communications collective Round Twelve. She encourages her clients to write a vision statement monthly, save the previous drafts, and see what sticks and what doesn’t over time. 

“After the first year, you can look back and see how much you have evolved,” Elyss said. “What parts or words within the statement stuck around, and what was dropped? Those key words tend to end up being major brand pillars you can always come back to and eventually become part of the brand ethos.” 

Tying yourself to a particular vision statement in the early days of your business may limit your opportunities for growth or blind you to the need for change. 

“At the end of the day, trust your gut; test and check; look at the analytics; invest in the feedback your customer is giving you,” Elyss said. “If you aren’t willing to step outside of your initial vision for your business, you might miss a huge opportunity!” 

Regardless of how many years you have been in business or how long you have had your vision statement, you’re not stuck with it. Don’t be afraid to change it – even if you spent time and money developing it – if it stops feeling right. 

The vision for your vision statement

A vision statement is a tool that can help your business grow and achieve brand success. Along the journey of growing your business, you’ll face good months, rough months, and every detour and roadblock imaginable. 

Above all, your vision statement should constantly remind you and your team of the end goal. This message is important to hold on to, especially on the most challenging days. 

Bassam Kaado and Paula Fernandes contributed to the writing and reporting in this article. Source interviews were conducted for a previous version of this article.

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4.3: The Roles of Mission, Vision, and Values

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Learning Objectives

• Be able to define mission and vision.
• See how values are important for mission and vision.
• Understand the roles of vision, mission, and values in the P-O-L-C framework.

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission and vision both relate to an organization’s purpose and are typically communicated in some written form. Mission and vision are statements from the organization that answer questions about who we are, what do we value, and where we’re going. A study by the consulting firm Bain and Company reports that 90% of the 500 firms surveyed issue some form of mission and vision statements (Bart & Baetz, 1998). Moreover, firms with clearly communicated, widely understood, and collectively shared mission and vision have been shown to perform better than those without them, with the caveat that they related to effectiveness only when strategy and goals and objectives were aligned with them as well (Bart, et. al., 2001).

A  mission statement  communicates the organization’s reason for being, and how it aims to serve its key stakeholders. Customers, employees, and investors are the stakeholders most often emphasized, but other stakeholders like government or communities (i.e., in the form of social or environmental impact) can also be discussed. Mission statements are often longer than vision statements. Sometimes mission statements also include a summation of the firm’s values.  Values  are the beliefs of an individual or group, and in this case the organization, in which they are emotionally invested. The Starbucks mission statement describes six guiding principles that, as you can see, also communicate the organization’s values:

• Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity .
• Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business .
• Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee.
• Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time .
• Contribute positively to our communities and our environment .
• Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success  (Starbucks, 2008).

Similarly, Toyota declares its global corporate principles to be:

• Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world .
• Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social development through corporate activities in the communities .
• Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life everywhere through all our activities .
• Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that fulfill the needs of customers worldwide .
• Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management .
• Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management .
• Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships  (Toyota, 2008).

A  vision statement , in contrast, is a future-oriented declaration of the organization’s purpose and aspirations. In many ways, you can say that the mission statement lays out the organization’s “purpose for being,” and the vision statement then says, “based on that purpose, this is what we want to become.” The strategy should flow directly from the vision, since the strategy is intended to achieve the vision and thus satisfy the organization’s mission. Typically, vision statements are relatively brief, as in the case of Starbuck’s vision statement, which reads: “Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow (Starbucks, 2008).” Or ad firm Ogilvy & Mather, which states their vision as “an agency defined by its devotion to brands (Ogilvy, 2008).” Sometimes the vision statement is also captured in a short tag line, such as Toyota’s “moving forward” statement that appears in most communications to customers, suppliers, and employees (Toyota, 2008). Similarly, Wal-Mart’s tag-line version of its vision statement is “Save money. Live better (Walmart, 2008).”

Any casual tour of business or organization Web sites will expose you to the range of forms that mission and vision statements can take. To reiterate, mission statements are longer than vision statements, often because they convey the organizations core values. Mission statements answer the questions of “Who are we?” and “What does our organization value?” Vision statements typically take the form of relatively brief, future-oriented statements—vision statements answer the question “Where is this organization going?” Increasingly, organizations also add a  values statement  which either reaffirms or states outright the organization’s values that might not be evident in the mission or vision statements.

Roles Played by Mission and Vision

Mission and vision statements play three critical roles: (1) communicate the purpose of the organization to stakeholders, (2) inform strategy development, and (3) develop the measurable goals and objectives by which to gauge the success of the organization’s strategy. These interdependent, cascading roles, and the relationships among them, are summarized in the figure.

First, mission and vision provide a vehicle for communicating an organization’s purpose and values to all key stakeholders. Stakeholders are those key parties who have some influence over the organization or stake in its future. You will learn more about stakeholders and stakeholder analysis later in this chapter; however, for now, suffice it to say that some key stakeholders are employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and institutions such as governments. Typically, these statements would be widely circulated and discussed often so that their meaning is widely understood, shared, and internalized. The better employees understand an organization’s purpose, through its mission and vision, the better able they will be to understand the strategy and its implementation.

Second, mission and vision create a target for strategy development. That is, one criterion of a good strategy is how well it helps the firm achieve its mission and vision. To better understand the relationship among mission, vision, and strategy, it is sometimes helpful to visualize them collectively as a funnel. At the broadest part of the funnel, you find the inputs into the mission statement. Toward the narrower part of the funnel, you find the vision statement, which has distilled down the mission in a way that it can guide the development of the strategy. In the narrowest part of the funnel you find the strategy —it is clear and explicit about what the firm will do, and not do, to achieve the vision. Vision statements also provide a bridge between the mission and the strategy. In that sense the best vision statements create a tension and restlessness with regard to the status quo—that is, they should foster a spirit of continuous innovation and improvement. For instance, in the case of Toyota, its “moving forward” vision urges managers to find newer and more environmentally friendly ways of delighting the purchaser of their cars. London Business School professors Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad describe this tense relationship between vision and strategy as stretch and ambition. Indeed, in a study of such able competitors as CNN, British Airways, and Sony, they found that these firms displaced competitors with stronger reputations and deeper pockets through their ambition to stretch their organizations in more innovative ways (Hamel & Prahalad, 1993).

Third, mission and vision provide a high-level guide, and the strategy provides a specific guide, to the goals and objectives showing success or failure of the strategy and satisfaction of the larger set of objectives stated in the mission. In the cases of both Starbucks and Toyota, you would expect to see profitability goals, in addition to metrics on customer and employee satisfaction, and social and environmental responsibility.

Key Takeaway

Mission and vision both relate to an organization’s purpose and aspirations, and are typically communicated in some form of brief written statements. A mission statement communicates the organization’s reason for being and how it aspires to serve its key stakeholders. The vision statement is a narrower, future-oriented declaration of the organization’s purpose and aspirations. Together, mission and vision guide strategy development, help communicate the organization’s purpose to stakeholders, and inform the goals and objectives set to determine whether the strategy is on track.

• What is a mission statement?
• What is a vision statement?
• How are values important to the content of mission and vision statements?
• Where does the purpose of mission and vision overlap?
• How do mission and vision relate to a firm’s strategy?
• Why are mission and vision important for organizational goals and objectives?

Bart, C. K., & Baetz, M. C. (1998). The relationship between mission statements and firm performance: An exploratory study.  Journal of Management Studies, 35 , 823–853.

Bart, C. K., Bontis, N., & Taggar, S. (2001). A model of the impact of mission statements on firm performance.  Management Decision, 39 (1), 19–35.

Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C. K. (1993, March–April). Strategy as stretch and leverage . Harvard Business Review , 75–84.

Ogilvy, Retrieved October 27, 2008, from  http://www.ogilvy.com/o_mather .

Starbucks, retrieved October 27, 2008, from  http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus

Toyota, retrieved October 27, 2008, from  http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/philosophy .

Toyota, retrieved October 27, 2008, from  http://www.toyota.com/about/our_values/index.html .

Walmart, retrieved October 27, 2008, from  http://www.walmart.com .

The Simple Business Plan – Mission, Vision, Values

Mission, Vision, Values.  Each of these contributes to the story of your business. The development of your mission, vision, and values will help you define your organization’s strategy, the direction it will go and become successful. If you haven’t developed your Mission, Vision, and Values your employees will not know which direction you want to go, and your customers will be confused.  Exploring each of these will help you understand their importance but also the role they play in the success of your business.

We’ll begin with Mission

Your mission defines your business, its products or services, and customers.  Further,  a mission statement helps the business differentiate itself from its competitors by addressing three important questions;

• What do we do?
• Who do we do it for?
• What is the benefit of our doing it?

The mission should never be just words on a wall.

Your Vision, like the Mission, is a statement of purpose.  Only this time the statement goes beyond the why.  It describes what in the form of an outcome.  What will your business be or look like if you accomplish your mission?  A strong and compelling vision statement attracts commitment from your workforce, energizes workers and customers, and creates a purpose in the lives of your workers.  In today’s workplace, it becomes a strong recruiting tool.

Your vision should never be just words on a wall.

Values are your guiding principles; the moral and ethical rules you operate under.  Some go as far as saying that a Values statement describes how you will make decisions.  They tell your employees how they should act and when faced with a challenging situation, show them what to do.

Values should never be just words on a wall.

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission, vision, and values are an important part of your business strategy and its development. The basic principles of values such as honesty, integrity, respect, and professional behavior, are brought together to develop your mission statement.  This describes what the organization is all about. When you identify the mission of your business, you also identify where the business is and how it conducts business. Your values explain how your business will reach the goals, or vision, that you have established.  If you haven’t defined your values, and live them, you’re your mission and vision won’t happen.

Next week we’ll address Marketing Strategy as we help you design, develop, and execute your business plan.

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Module 3: Planning and Mission

Mission, vision, and values, learning outcomes.

• Distinguish between mission and vision in business.
• Explain how a values statement can support the goals of an organization.

In September 2007, Countrywide Financial sent a message to all of its employees. The message contained the following statement of its mission:

Countrywide remains steadfastly committed to our mission of delivering and preserving homeownership. ~Angelo R. Mozilo, chairman and CEO ~Dave Sambol, president and COO

However, it seemed that Countrywide was mostly interested in delivering commissions and profits to the company by financing high-risk mortgages to unqualified borrowers. When the housing market collapsed, borrowers defaulted on their high-interest loans and the company fell apart. Countrywide faced a flood of lawsuits charging it had used deceptive practices to entice people into loans they could not afford. Mozilo, the CEO, was charged with insider trading and is now banned from serving as an officer or director of a public company. The company was sold to Bank of America in 2008.

The vision, mission, and values statements guide the behaviors of people in the organization. But when the statements are not supported, people have no guidance. Do you think Mozilo and Sambol supported the stated mission of Countrywide? Do you think people in Countrywide were guided by the mission? If people in the firm were guided by the mission, they could have corrected even the CEO. Then Countrywide might have avoided disaster. Let’s explore the roles of the mission, vision, and values statements in an organization.

The Vision Statement

Disney’s vision statement is “To make people happy.”

A vision statement is a statement of an organization’s overarching aspirations of what it hopes to achieve or to become. Here are some examples of vision statements:

• Disney: To make people happy
• IKEA: To create a better everyday life for the many people
• Microsoft: Empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more
• Avon: To be the company that best understands and satisfies the product, service and self-fulfillment needs of women—globally
• Sony Corporation: To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity [1]

The vision statement does not provide specific targets. Notice that each of the above examples could apply to many different organizations. Instead, the vision is a broad description of the value an organization provides. It is a visual image of what the organization is trying to produce or become. It should inspire people and motivate them to want to be part of and contribute to the organization. Vision statements should be clear and concise, usually not longer than a short paragraph.

The Mission Statement

The vision statement and mission statement are often confused, and many companies use the terms interchangeably. However, they each have a different purpose. The vision statement describes where the organization wants to be in the future; the mission statement describes what the organization needs to do now to achieve the vision. The vision and mission statements must support each other, but the mission statement is more specific. It defines how the organization will be different from other organizations in its industry. Here are examples of mission statements from successful businesses:

• Life is Good:  To spread the power of optimism
• Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis
• Invisible Children: To end violence and exploitation facing our world’s most isolated and vulnerable communities
• Honest Tea: To create and promote great-tasting, healthy, organic beverages
• JetBlue Airways: To inspire humanity–both in the air and on the ground
• Tesla: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy [2]

Notice that each of these examples indicates where the organization will compete (what industry it is in) and how it will compete (what it will do to be different from other organizations). The mission statement conveys to stakeholders why the organization exists. It explains how it creates value for the market or the larger community.

Because it is more specific, the mission statement is more actionable than the vision statement. The mission statement leads to strategic goals. Strategic goals are the broad goals the organization will try to achieve. By describing why the organization exists, and where and how it will compete, the mission statement allows leaders to define a coherent set of goals that fit together to support the mission.

The Values Statement

The values statement , also called the code of ethics , differs from both the vision and mission statements. The vision and mission state where the organization is going (vision) and what it will do to get there (mission). They direct the efforts of people in the organization toward common goals. The values statement defines what the organization believes in and how people in the organization are expected to behave—with each other, with customers and suppliers, and with other stakeholders. It provides a moral direction for the organization that guides decision making and establishes a standard for assessing actions. It also provides a standard for employees to judge violations.

However, managers cannot just create a values statement and expect it to be followed. For a values statement to be effective, it must be reinforced at all levels of the organization and must be used to guide attitudes and actions. Organizations with strong values follow their values even when it may be easier not to. Levi Strauss & Co is an excellent example of a company that is driven by its values.

When Levis Strauss began to source its manufacturing overseas, the company developed a set of principles called the Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines for overseas operations and suppliers. One of the principles covered the use of child labor:

Use of child labor is not permissible. Workers can be no less than 15 years of age and not younger than the compulsory age to be in school. We will not utilize partners who use child labor in any of their facilities. We support the development of legitimate workplace apprenticeship programs for the educational benefit of younger people.

Levi Strauss found that one of its contractors was employing children under 15 in a factory in Bangladesh. The easy solution would be to replace those workers, but in Bangladesh, the children’s wages may have supported an entire family. And if they lost their jobs, they may have had to resort to begging on the streets. Levi Strauss came up with a different solution, one that supported its values of empathy, originality, integrity, and courage: it paid the children to go to school. Levi Strauss continued to pay salaries and benefits to the children and paid for tuition, books, and supplies. [3] Even though it would have been easier to just fire the child laborers and consider the problem settled, Levi Strauss was driven by its values to find a better solution.

Together, the vision, mission, and values statements provide direction for everything that happens in an organization. They keep everyone focused on where the organization is going and what it is trying to achieve. And they define the core values of the organization and how people are expected to behave. They are not intended to be a straitjacket that restricts or inhibits initiative and innovation, but they are intended to guide decisions and behaviors to achieve common ends.

Practice Questions

The vision, mission, and values statements form the foundation for all activities in an organization. The vision statement describes what the organization will become in the future. It is a broad and inspirational statement intended to engender support from stakeholders. The mission statement defines how the organization differentiates itself from other organizations in its industry. It is more specific than the vision statement and is intended to show how stakeholders’ needs will be satisfied. The values statement defines how people in the organization should behave. It provides a guideline for decision making.

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• O'Donovan, K. (2020, January 2). 20 Inspiring Vision Statement Examples (2020 Updated). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/work/20-sample-vision-statement-for-the-new-startup.html ↵
• 17 Truly Inspiring Company Vision and Mission Statement Examples. (2020, July 14). Retrieved November 03, 2020, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/inspiring-company-mission-statements ↵
• Case Study: Child Labor in Bangladesh. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2017, from http://www.levistrauss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Case-Study_Child-Labor-in-Bangladesh.pdf ↵
• Mission, Vision, and Values. Authored by : John/Lynn Bruton and Lumen Learning. License : CC BY: Attribution
• Image: Mickey Mouse. Authored by : pyromaster. Located at : https://pixabay.com/en/mickey-mouse-walt-disney-parade-1988522/ . License : CC0: No Rights Reserved

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4.3 The Roles of Mission, Vision, and Values

Learning objectives.

• Be able to define mission and vision.
• See how values are important for mission and vision.
• Understand the roles of vision, mission, and values in the P-O-L-C framework.

Mission, Vision, and Values

Mission and vision both relate to an organization’s purpose and are typically communicated in some written form. Mission and vision are statements from the organization that answer questions about who we are, what do we value, and where we’re going. A study by the consulting firm Bain and Company reports that 90% of the 500 firms surveyed issue some form of mission and vision statements (Bart & Baetz, 1998). Moreover, firms with clearly communicated, widely understood, and collectively shared mission and vision have been shown to perform better than those without them, with the caveat that they related to effectiveness only when strategy and goals and objectives were aligned with them as well (Bart, et. al., 2001).

A mission statement communicates the organization’s reason for being, and how it aims to serve its key stakeholders. Customers, employees, and investors are the stakeholders most often emphasized, but other stakeholders like government or communities (i.e., in the form of social or environmental impact) can also be discussed. Mission statements are often longer than vision statements. Sometimes mission statements also include a summation of the firm’s values. Values are the beliefs of an individual or group, and in this case the organization, in which they are emotionally invested. The Starbucks mission statement describes six guiding principles that, as you can see, also communicate the organization’s values:

• Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity .
• Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business .
• Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting and fresh delivery of our coffee.
• Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time .
• Contribute positively to our communities and our environment .
• Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success (Starbucks, 2008).

Similarly, Toyota declares its global corporate principles to be:

• Honor the language and spirit of the law of every nation and undertake open and fair corporate activities to be a good corporate citizen of the world .
• Respect the culture and customs of every nation and contribute to economic and social development through corporate activities in the communities .
• Dedicate ourselves to providing clean and safe products and to enhancing the quality of life everywhere through all our activities .
• Create and develop advanced technologies and provide outstanding products and services that fulfill the needs of customers worldwide .
• Foster a corporate culture that enhances individual creativity and teamwork value, while honoring mutual trust and respect between labor and management .
• Pursue growth in harmony with the global community through innovative management .
• Work with business partners in research and creation to achieve stable, long-term growth and mutual benefits, while keeping ourselves open to new partnerships (Toyota, 2008).

A vision statement , in contrast, is a future-oriented declaration of the organization’s purpose and aspirations. In many ways, you can say that the mission statement lays out the organization’s “purpose for being,” and the vision statement then says, “based on that purpose, this is what we want to become.” The strategy should flow directly from the vision, since the strategy is intended to achieve the vision and thus satisfy the organization’s mission. Typically, vision statements are relatively brief, as in the case of Starbuck’s vision statement, which reads: “Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow (Starbucks, 2008).” Or ad firm Ogilvy & Mather, which states their vision as “an agency defined by its devotion to brands (Ogilvy, 2008).” Sometimes the vision statement is also captured in a short tag line, such as Toyota’s “moving forward” statement that appears in most communications to customers, suppliers, and employees (Toyota, 2008). Similarly, Wal-Mart’s tag-line version of its vision statement is “Save money. Live better (Walmart, 2008).”

Any casual tour of business or organization Web sites will expose you to the range of forms that mission and vision statements can take. To reiterate, mission statements are longer than vision statements, often because they convey the organizations core values. Mission statements answer the questions of “Who are we?” and “What does our organization value?” Vision statements typically take the form of relatively brief, future-oriented statements—vision statements answer the question “Where is this organization going?” Increasingly, organizations also add a values statement which either reaffirms or states outright the organization’s values that might not be evident in the mission or vision statements.

Roles Played by Mission and Vision

Mission and vision statements play three critical roles: (1) communicate the purpose of the organization to stakeholders, (2) inform strategy development, and (3) develop the measurable goals and objectives by which to gauge the success of the organization’s strategy. These interdependent, cascading roles, and the relationships among them, are summarized in the figure.

Figure 4.5 Key Roles of Mission and Vision

First, mission and vision provide a vehicle for communicating an organization’s purpose and values to all key stakeholders. Stakeholders are those key parties who have some influence over the organization or stake in its future. You will learn more about stakeholders and stakeholder analysis later in this chapter; however, for now, suffice it to say that some key stakeholders are employees, customers, investors, suppliers, and institutions such as governments. Typically, these statements would be widely circulated and discussed often so that their meaning is widely understood, shared, and internalized. The better employees understand an organization’s purpose, through its mission and vision, the better able they will be to understand the strategy and its implementation.

Second, mission and vision create a target for strategy development. That is, one criterion of a good strategy is how well it helps the firm achieve its mission and vision. To better understand the relationship among mission, vision, and strategy, it is sometimes helpful to visualize them collectively as a funnel. At the broadest part of the funnel, you find the inputs into the mission statement. Toward the narrower part of the funnel, you find the vision statement, which has distilled down the mission in a way that it can guide the development of the strategy. In the narrowest part of the funnel you find the strategy —it is clear and explicit about what the firm will do, and not do, to achieve the vision. Vision statements also provide a bridge between the mission and the strategy. In that sense the best vision statements create a tension and restlessness with regard to the status quo—that is, they should foster a spirit of continuous innovation and improvement. For instance, in the case of Toyota, its “moving forward” vision urges managers to find newer and more environmentally friendly ways of delighting the purchaser of their cars. London Business School professors Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad describe this tense relationship between vision and strategy as stretch and ambition. Indeed, in a study of such able competitors as CNN, British Airways, and Sony, they found that these firms displaced competitors with stronger reputations and deeper pockets through their ambition to stretch their organizations in more innovative ways (Hamel & Prahalad, 1993).

Third, mission and vision provide a high-level guide, and the strategy provides a specific guide, to the goals and objectives showing success or failure of the strategy and satisfaction of the larger set of objectives stated in the mission. In the cases of both Starbucks and Toyota, you would expect to see profitability goals, in addition to metrics on customer and employee satisfaction, and social and environmental responsibility.

Key Takeaway

Mission and vision both relate to an organization’s purpose and aspirations, and are typically communicated in some form of brief written statements. A mission statement communicates the organization’s reason for being and how it aspires to serve its key stakeholders. The vision statement is a narrower, future-oriented declaration of the organization’s purpose and aspirations. Together, mission and vision guide strategy development, help communicate the organization’s purpose to stakeholders, and inform the goals and objectives set to determine whether the strategy is on track.

• What is a mission statement?
• What is a vision statement?
• How are values important to the content of mission and vision statements?
• Where does the purpose of mission and vision overlap?
• How do mission and vision relate to a firm’s strategy?
• Why are mission and vision important for organizational goals and objectives?

Bart, C. K., & Baetz, M. C. (1998). The relationship between mission statements and firm performance: An exploratory study. Journal of Management Studies, 35 , 823–853.

Bart, C. K., Bontis, N., & Taggar, S. (2001). A model of the impact of mission statements on firm performance. Management Decision, 39 (1), 19–35.

Hamel, G., & Prahalad, C. K. (1993, March–April). Strategy as stretch and leverage . Harvard Business Review , 75–84.

Ogilvy, Retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.ogilvy.com/o_mather .

Starbucks, retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus

Toyota, retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/vision/philosophy .

Toyota, retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.toyota.com/about/our_values/index.html .

Walmart, retrieved October 27, 2008, from http://www.walmart.com .

Principles of Management Copyright © 2015 by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

Vision, Mission, and Core Values

Vision: NJIT will transform the public polytechnic research university experience into an Innovation Nexus through unparalleled education, limitless innovation, and pioneering research to cultivate a diverse community of leaders and professionals.

NJIT advances the state of New Jersey, the nation, and the world through its contributions as an Innovation Nexus:

• Public Polytechnic University —by harnessing the power of experiential learning to transform a diverse community of students into leaders, innovators, and global citizens.
• Research Leader —by advancing knowledge through high-impact basic, applied, and transdisciplinary research, and by developing technological solutions that advance the state-of-the-art and drive economic growth.
• Innovation Partner —by anticipating the needs of industry, government, and civic organizations to spur growth, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
• Inclusive Workplace —by engaging diverse colleagues whose differences build a strong community dedicated to accomplishing our vision.
• Community Member —by applying our technological expertise to serve and elevate the communities that NJIT calls home.

As Highlanders, our core values reflect our beliefs, guide our behavior, shape our culture, and establish a sense of community and common purpose.

Excellence We pursue excellence in all that we do in order to meet and sustain the highest standards of performance.

Integrity We conduct ourselves honestly and ethically.

Civility We treat one another with dignity and respect the opinions and viewpoints of others.

Sustainability We operate and innovate in a way that promotes stewardship of resources for present and future generations.

Social Responsibility We engage with the communities in which we live, study, and work to benefit society as a whole.

Diversity We create a sense of belonging by celebrating the differences of individuals so that all members of our community feel included and empowered.

Collaboration We recognize that individual skills and expertise are strengthened through cooperation and teamwork.

Courage We move forward by overcoming uncertainty, taking on challenges, and making sacrifices for the common good.

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Business Plan

Our Company

• Vision & Business Plan
• Business Plan: The Arc

A bridge to Nissan Ambition 2030

A bridge to the future: The Arc: Nissan Business Plan 1:53

The Arc: A bridge to Nissan Ambition 2030

Decisive actions will allow us to go further and faster, driving value and strengthening our competitiveness globally.

Presentation

News Release

Driving value and beyond

The Arc is positioned between the Nissan NEXT transformation plan running from fiscal year 2020 through fiscal year 2023 and Nissan Ambition 2030 , the company’s long-term vision. The new plan is split into mid-term imperatives for fiscal years 2024 through 2026, and mid-long-term actions to be carried out through 2030. Under the two-part plan, Nissan will first take actions to ensure volume growth through a tailored regional strategy and prepare for an accelerated transition to EVs, supported by a balanced electrified / internal combustion engine product portfolio, volume growth in major markets, and firm financial discipline. Through these initiatives Nissan aims to lift annual sales by 1 million units and increase its operating profit margin to more than 6%, both by the end of fiscal year 2026.

This will pave the way for the second part of the plan aimed to enable the EV transition and realize long-term profitable growth, supported by smart partnerships, enhanced EV competitiveness, differentiated innovations and new revenue streams. By fiscal year 2030, Nissan sees a revenue potential of 2.5 trillion yen from new business opportunities.

Balanced portfolio

Volume growth in major markets

Smart partnerships

EV competitiveness

Differentiated innovations ​

New revenue streams

Live: Nissan Business Plan mm:ss

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Apple spotlights how businesses are adopting the Apple Vision Pro

Apple Vision Pro

While perhaps most attention that the Apple Vision Pro has received concerns its immersive video for entertainment, Apple has always aimed it equally at businesses . Now Apple wants to press hard on the idea of Apple Vision Pro being a tool that companies need.

"There's tremendous opportunity for businesses to reimagine what's possible using Apple Vision Pro at work," Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise Marketing, said in a statement . "We're thrilled to see the innovative ways organizations are already using Apple Vision Pro, from planning fire response operations to iterating on the most intricate details of an engine design — and this is just the beginning."

"Combined with enterprise-grade capabilities like mobile device management built into visionOS ," continued Prescott, "we believe spatial computing has the potential to revolutionize industries around the world."

Making tools for business

Apple's promotion lists many firms and what they are using the Apple Vision Pro for, but it concentrates on seven. Three of them were already known, such as Porsche with its Race Engineer , NVIDIA's Omniverse Cloud APIs , and also how Microsoft has brought all of its Office apps to the headset .

"Spatial computing has enabled us to rethink how professionals can be productive and work intelligently with the power of AI," Nicole Herskowitz, vice president, Microsoft 365 and Teams said. "With Microsoft 365 and Teams on AppleVision Pro, your office moves with you, allowing users to view apps side by side on an infinite canvas with spatial computing for incredible multitasking and collaboration."

Similarly, long-time Apple partner SAP has created an Apple Vision Pro app that its clients can use to visualize the data that that they are working with day to day.

"Apple Vision Pro is a revolutionary device, and we are thrilled to leverage the capabilities of spatial computing with SAP Analytics Cloud and SAP Mobile Start," said Philipp Herzig, chief AI officer, SAP SE. "SAP Analytics Cloud running on Apple Vision Pro will help our customers discover all-new insights from complex data with powerful and intuitive processes that supercharge their business planning."

Applying Apple Vision Pro in business

Where Microsoft makes an Apple Vision Pro app suite for users, Apple has been showing how some firms are producing software for their internal use.

So KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, for instance, is using Apple Vision Pro in its technical maintenance and airline operations. Technicians train on AR models of the latest engine models, and get detailed repair instructions overlaid on what they're seeing.

"Training our employees with spatial computing will lead to fewer costly errors because the most current information they need to do their job is there in front of them as they perform the task," said Bob Tulleken, KLM vice president of Operations Decision Support. "This means we not only get vastly more efficient in our work, but also provide a better work environment for our employees to succeed."

Apple has highlighted a range of different firms in order to show off the claimed versatility of the Apple Vision Pro, while others have looked for specific industries it could help .

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Our North, Strong and Free: A Renewed Vision for Canada’s Defence

From: National Defence

Backgrounder

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair released Our North, Strong and Free – a defence policy update that responds to the significant global shifts we have witnessed since Canada’s comprehensive defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged, was announced in 2017.

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Defence Minister Bill Blair released Our North, Strong and Free – a defence policy update that responds to the significant global shifts we have witnessed since Canada’s comprehensive defence policy, Strong, Secure, Engaged , was announced in 2017. It is an investment in Canada, Canadians and our shared values, security, and sovereignty.

The most urgent and important task we face is asserting Canada’s sovereignty in the Arctic and northern regions, where the changing physical and geopolitical landscapes have created new threats and vulnerabilities to Canada and Canadians. This includes the need to upgrade our continental defences to threats or defeat them when necessary.

Today, the Prime Minister and Minister Blair announced Canada’s vision and its plan to defend Canadians in this new global environment. The new defence policy sets out to address two core objectives: strengthen the foundations of the CAF and acquire new capabilities to deal with new threats.

To deliver on our renewed vision for defence outlined in the policy, we need to provide the members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) with the tools, equipment, and training they need to keep Canada and Canadians safe in an increasingly unpredictable world, and to support them on the home front.

The new investments in Our North, Strong and Free will ensure that Canada can deliver on this vision. Defence investments in Budget 2024 are expected to bring Canada’s defence spending-to- GDP ratio to 1.76% by 2029-30, a significant step forward in our efforts to reach the NATO commitment of 2% to which we agreed at the Vilnius Summit in 2023. The initiatives under this defence policy also put Canada on track to exceed NATO’s target of 20% for major equipment expenditures as a proportion of defence funding.

Canada will invest $8.1 billion over the next five years, and $73 billion over the next 20 years, in our national defence over six major themes to:

• support our people ;
• strengthen our foundations ;
• build an innovative industrial base ;
• defend Canada ;
• defend North America ; and
• defend Canada’s global interests and values .

Supporting Our People

Supporting caf members and families.

• $295 million over 20 years to establish a CAF housing strategy, build new housing, and rehabilitate existing housing so CAF members have safe and affordable places to call home where they and their families are posted.
• $497 million over 20 years to accelerate development of an electronic health record platform to improve the continuity of care as CAF members move between provinces and territories.
• $100 million over five years to improve childcare access for CAF personnel on bases across Canada.

Reforming Personnel Management Policies

• We will explore adjusting personnel policies related to compensation and benefits, human resources, leave, and other supports for work-life balance for those in uniform. Our current framework was put in place decades ago and does not address the expectations and realities of today’s members.

Strengthening our Foundation

Maintaining and renewing national defence infrastructure.

• Investing $10.2 billion over 20 years in current and new infrastructure to support the required tempo of training, operations, and day-to-day military activities. These investments will range from asset maintenance and repair to other improvements to military facilities, such as piers and runways.

Civilian Capacity

• $1.8 billion over 20 years to increase the number of civilian specialists in priority areas to accelerate and improve the purchase of new equipment, recruit, and train new soldiers, and upgrade our infrastructure, among others.

Building an Innovative Defence Industrial Base

Sustaining military equipment.

• $9.0 billion over 20 years to sustain military equipment under the National Procurement Program to ensure the CAF can continue to receive the critical updates necessary to preserve its ability deploy on operations.

Ammunition Supply and Production

• $9.5 billion over 20 years to accelerate the establishment of new artillery ammunition production capacity in Canada and invest in a strategic supply of ammunition. Artillery ammunition is becoming increasingly difficult to procure abroad – and this production capacity will help meet the ammunition demands of Canada and our closest allies while creating skilled jobs for Canadian workers for the long term and generating economic benefits for Canadian communities. The CAF will also establish a greater strategic reserve of battle-decisive munitions. Canada needs adequate stockpiles of munitions to meet its defence and security commitments during a crisis or conflict, and industry needs clarity from government about future acquisitions to set up production lines. This production line will also help replenish CAF ammunition previously donated to Ukraine.

NATO Innovation Fund

• $107 million over 20 years for Canada’s participation in the newly established NATO Innovation Fund, which will offer additional funding streams for innovative Canadian entrepreneurs. The Fund is the world’s first defence-focused multi-sovereign venture capital fund, providing investment in start-up firms developing dual-use, emerging and disruptive technologies critical to our defence.

Defending Canada

Specialized maritime sensors.

• $1.4 billion over 20 years to acquire specialized maritime sensors to conduct ocean surveillance. They will be used to monitor Canada’s maritime approaches, including in the Arctic and North, and will be a critical component of the CAFs’ ability to defend Canada from a growing range and sophistication of underwater threats including vessel-launched missiles, underwater systems, ships, and submarines.

Satellite Ground Station

• $222 million over 20 years to build a new satellite ground station in the Arctic. This ground station will improve our ability to detect, deter and respond to malign activities and to communicate those threats quickly with our most trusted partners.

Tactical Helicopters

• $18.4 billion over 20 years to acquire a more modern, mobile, and effective tactical helicopter capability. It will provide the CAF with the speed and airlift capacity to assert Canada’s sovereignty and respond to natural disasters and emergencies throughout the country.

Northern Operational Support Hubs

• $218 million over 20 years for Northern Operational Support Hubs. These will better ensure Canadian sovereignty by establishing a greater year-round presence across the Arctic and the North, and investing in multi-use infrastructure that also meets the needs of the territories, Indigenous peoples, and Northern communities.

Enhancing Canada’s Intelligence and Cyber Operations

• $2.8 billion over 20 years to stand up a joint Canadian cyber operations capability with the Communications Security Establishment, integrating the unique strengths of each organization into a unified team that will conduct active cyber operations in support of Canadian interests.

Renew and Expand Submarine Fleet

• We will explore options for renewing and expanding our submarine fleet to enable the Royal Canadian Navy to project a persistent deterrent on all three coasts, with under-ice capable, conventionally powered submarines.

All-terrain Vehicles for Arctic Mobility

• We will explore options to acquire new vehicles adapted to ice, snow, and tundra. These versatile, all-terrain vehicles would be able to operate effectively in all Arctic terrains and climate conditions. These vehicles would allow the military to maintain awareness in remote regions and along Canada’s entire coastline, and better respond to unauthorized activity.

Enable Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels to Operate Helicopters

• We will explore options for enabling our Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessels to embark and operate our maritime helicopters at sea.

Defending North America

Airborne early warning aircraft.

• $307 million over 20 years for airborne early warning aircraft that will vastly improve Canada’s ability to detect, track and prioritize airborne threats sooner, and respond faster, and to better coordinate our response with the United States when required. They will allow Canada to continue making meaningful contributions to NORAD while also supporting allies and partners globally.

Long-Range Land Missiles

• $2.7 billion over 20 years to acquire long-range missile capabilities to enable our forces to deter threats to Canada from an appropriate distance and reach targets at greater ranges than our adversaries in combat.

Contribution to Integrated Air and Missile Defence

• We will explore options to ensure our new airborne early warning and control aircraft and previously announced platforms such as the Canadian Surface Combatants can contribute to efforts with our allies to defeat new missiles that move faster and in more unpredictable patterns.

Ground Based Air Defences to Defend Critical Infrastructure

• We will explore options for acquiring ground-based air defences to defend critical infrastructure from a diverse array of incoming airborne attacks, including drones, missiles, and artillery.

Long-Range Air and Sea Missiles

• We will explore options to acquire long-range air- and sea-launched missiles to enable our forces to deter threats to Canada from an appropriate distance and reach targets at greater ranges than our adversaries in combat.

Defending Canada’s Global Interests and Values

Sustaining naval vessels.

• $9.9 billion over 20 years to improve the sustainment of our naval fleets. This will include extending the life of the Halifax-class frigates and preserving the Royal Canadian Navy’s interim at-sea replenishment capability. These investments will help Canada maintain a globally deployable naval fleet capable of supporting NATO and engaging in operations, exercises, training, and defence diplomacy with key allies and partners, among other activities.

Worldwide Satellite Communications

• $5.5 billion over 20 years to acquire a comprehensive worldwide satellite communication capability. Working with our allies, we will jointly develop updated access to the satellite constellations that enable the military to operate effectively around the world, including by better defending its communications against jamming or disruptions by adversaries while deployed.

Modern Artillery Capabilities

• We will explore options for modernizing our artillery capabilities, which will significantly improve the protection of our deployed personnel by providing them with the capacity to strike enemy positions from farther away and in a greater number of directions.

Upgrade or Replace Main Battle Tanks

• We will explore options for upgrading or replacing our main battle tanks, which continue to have a decisive effect on the modern battlefield and remain key to conducting land operations against conventional militaries with advanced capabilities.

Upgrade or Replace Light Armoured Vehicles

• We will explore options for upgrading or replacing our light armoured vehicle fleet and establishing a production program to replenish our fleet while also enabling industry to invest in a sustainable defence production capacity to support Canada and our NATO allies.

Surveillance and Strike Drones and Counter-Drone Capabilities

• We will explore options for acquiring a suite of surveillance and strike drones and counter-drone capabilities.

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Strategies for succession in family real estate businesses: safeguarding generational wealth.

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Family Office Executive | Co-Mgr Member Evergreen | Founder Family Office Real Estate Institute | President Harvard Real Estate Alumni Org.

For many families, the foundation of their wealth lies within their real estate businesses, an asset class known for its ability to generate substantial returns over time. Transitioning these businesses to the next generation is often pivotal to continuing the family's legacy and preserving and growing their wealth.

Keys To A Successful Generational Transition

Based on my first-hand experience working with several prominent families in the real estate industry, achieving a smooth transition requires addressing several key areas.

• Transferring Knowledge

The transfer of knowledge is the first significant hurdle to overcome. It's important to ensure that the incoming generation is adequately prepared to navigate the complexities of the real estate market. This preparation often involves a combination of hands-on mentorship and formal education in real estate principles, which can equip your successors with the requisite skills and confidence for leadership.

• Strategic Alignment

Aligning investment strategies across generations is equally important. Given that real estate markets evolve, there might be better strategies moving forward than what worked for one generation. Seek to strike a balance between maintaining the risk-averse, income-generating approaches that have traditionally characterized family real estate investments and embracing more dynamic, growth-oriented opportunities that new market conditions present.

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Apple watch series 10 to boast welcome upgrade report claims, wwe raw results winners and grades on april 15 2024, • unifying the vision.

It's important for there to be a strong unity of vision and mission within the family business, especially one that leverages the unique opportunities within the real estate sector. For instance, your family real estate business might champion sustainable development and legacy building, focus on innovating real estate with technology, foster community and lifestyle, revitalize historic properties or expand access to affordable housing. Whatever the focus, having a unified vision can help ensure that all family members and stakeholders are aligned toward achieving common goals, which can, in turn, reduce potential conflicts, support the business's stability and growth and make a lasting impact on the industry and the communities your business serves.

How To Create A Strong Succession Plan

1. focus on education..

As mentioned earlier, education and training should play a pivotal role in succession planning. There are many ways to provide the next generation with a solid foundation in real estate investment and management principles. Education from family real estate organizations (Full disclosure: My company offers these services, as do others), as well as real-life experiences and mentorship, can form a comprehensive approach to preparing successors for their future roles.

Some best practices I have found over the years for encouraging family members to pursue such education include:

• Ensuring access to educational resources.

• Setting up mentorship opportunities.

• Involving family members in practical projects.

• Promoting networking with other families.

• Celebrating any academic and professional milestones.

One or more of these practices can collectively create an environment conducive to growth and innovation within the family enterprise. I also recommend encouraging the next generation to gain experience outside the family business. This exposure can bring new perspectives, skills and ideas to the business, enriching its strategies and potentially leading to innovation and growth.

2. Ensure clear communication.

To effectively prepare family members for roles in family business and real estate management, it's important to craft a clear, well-communicated succession plan. I recommend that your plan detail the transition process, identify potential successors and define a timeline and criteria for the transfer of leadership and responsibilities. Incorporating elements such as financial and logistical support for educational endeavors, connections with external mentors and early involvement in business operations can also address potential challenges like resistance to change and balancing educational goals with business duties.

Open communication is key, allowing the plan to be adjusted based on individual interests and strengths and fostering a flexible approach that accommodates academic pursuits and practical business experience. This holistic strategy can help ensure that the next generation is well-prepared for leadership, facilitating a smoother transition and the ongoing success of the family business.

3. Create a family governance structure.

Establishing a strong family governance structure is another important element. This structure should define the roles, responsibilities and processes by which the family business is managed and provide a framework for resolving disputes and making decisions. It can help all those involved ensure that the business's and family's values are aligned and that strategic decisions reflect the collective interests of the family members.

In conclusion, transitioning a family real estate business to the next generation is complex but manageable. By focusing on knowledge transfer, strategic alignment, maintaining a unified vision and ensuring comprehensive education and training, your family can secure their legacy and continue to grow their wealth through real estate across generations.

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