Vision

In our research, the terms “vision statement” and “mission statement” are used interchangeably by everyone. It’s as if what matters is whose seminar you attended or which book you just finished reading as to which term you use for your company. But for purposes of building a Culturrific! service team, we have found that these terms really represent two very different ideas with two very distinct and important purposes.

Your vision statement is the set of values, beliefs, and ideals you want to weave into the fabric of your culture. In the “Culture Cycle” chapter, we discussed how this “weaving” takes place. It is not enough to write down your values or beliefs on paper. You must program them into your culture. But one of the key stumbling blocks for many companies is they fail to put in writing what they mean. They feel that vision is a trendy buzzword. In fact, a vision is a unique design of the future.

Most vision statements usually end up as verbose poetic plaques on the lobby wall or great cover story material for the company’s shareholder’s report. A vision is a catalyst for a company. It is the set of expectations of the future. Whereas the mission statement is about today, the vision statement is about tomorrow. The vision statement sets the emotional tone for your company. It can stir the souls of your employees and inspire them to rise to the occasion.

There are three common potholes your bus will fall into when creating your vision statement if you are not careful.

1. Never use grandiose words that are over the heads of half the employees. A vision statement can demoralize and detract from your culture as much as it can inspire and develop it.

2. A vision statement must be about values, beliefs, and behaviors. Idealistic prose will only sound frivolous to your employees. They are looking for a reason not to believe as well as a reason to believe.

3. It must deal with all three areas of your business – the employees, the customers, and the stakeholders. A stakeholder is anyone who has a stake in your business being successful. This would include vendors, suppliers, your bank, and your shareholders.

Many times, vision statements are too simplistic. They say things like “We want to be the best!” or “We want to be profitable.” A business saying it wants to be profitable is like a paratrooper saying she would like her parachute to open before she gets to the ground. A vision statement is not about the obvious. It’s about the visible and the unvisible aspects of your culture.

You also must be careful that the words you are using tell the meanings you are looking for. For example, when you hear the word terminal, what is the first thought that comes to your mind? For some of you, you may say train or bus, while others may say the end. Some will say computer and still others will say death (this is not what we are talking about!). When we wrote the word terminal, we were thinking of the little metal pieces that go on the end of wires for connecting them to power.

So, if we were to tell everyone that our new plan is terminal, some of the people would think we are getting into PCs, others would think we were going on a bus trip (little do they know!) and others’ hearts would drop as they think the end is near. A little melodramatic perhaps? Probably. But the point is still well taken. Words in a vision statement are simply that—words. It is the behavior that you are looking for.

What is the role of the vision statement? It sets the culture cycle in motion. It is a bond with your employees. It is the guiding principles of your organization. In the movie “Jerry McGuire,” the lead character (the namesake of the title) had a revelation one evening at his company’s annual meeting. He ‘grew a conscious’ and wrote down his thoughts for the guiding principles of the sports agent business. The result was a dramatic stir in the organization, which led to his dismissal. He left to start his own sports agency. One of the key themes of the movie is when Dorothy Boyd, an accountant, leaves the big time sports agency that fired Jerry to go start the new business with him. Her reason, which she relates several times during the film, was the new guiding principles Jerry penned ‘moved her.’

Like Dorothy Boyd in the film, your people want to be inspired. They want to be a part of something. Your vision statement is a rallying cry of the expectations you have of anyone who comes to work for you. It is the stage for them to become great.