The Difference between Mission and Vision

October 8, 2009

A nonprofit CEO recently sent a question to my Facebook inbox. “I am trying to write a new mission statement and also to create a vision statement,” she said. “My problem is I am not sure what the difference is. My vision statements tend to look like mission statements. How are they different?”

Excellent question. She’s probably among a majority of business people who are confused about the two. Not knowing the difference contributes to foggy thinking and an incomplete vision. Here’s how I distinguish the two:

  1. A mission statement is present tense. It focuses on what your organization is today. It concentrates on the company’s current purpose and addresses why the business exists.
  2. A vision statement is future focused. It paints a picture of what you want the organization to become. It defines the new reality you hope to create in the future.

The mission and the vision should be complementary.

A mission statement should be differentiating and guide management in making day-to-day decisions about the company’s operations.

A vision statement, on the other hand, is usually more inspiring. Rightly done, it reflects the shared vision of the key stakeholders. It’s something everyone feels passionately about. People should rally around their vision, and it should compel them to work together on making that vision their new reality.

2 Comments | Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock

10 Things I’ve Observed about Vision and Strategy

August 19, 2009

Helen Keller was right when she said, “The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.” It seems like everyone talks about the importance of vision, but very few people have a vivid image of what they hope their future will look like.

Following are 10 things I’ve observed during more than 20 years of work experience:

  1. Where there is no vision, people perish.
  2. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.
  3. Tactics not tied to strategy are nothing more than busywork.
  4. When you and I are not pursuing the same goal, then we’re not on the same team.
  5. When you and I focus on the same goal from different vantage points, we have stereoscopic vision that gives us better depth perception.
  6. The effectiveness of a vision statement can be measured in its ability to inspire people to rally around a shared picture of what can be—and must be—their new reality.
  7. A compelling vision is future-focused and usually threatens those deeply vested in the status quo.
  8. Progress always requires change, but not all change is progress.
  9. Every project can be improved by periodically asking, “Why are we doing this?”
  10. As Stephen Covey says, it is essential to “begin with the end in mind.”

What would you add? Have you been inspired by someone who had an exceptional vision for the future? What did you learn from that person? How did he or she inspire you?

2 Comments | Life in General, Marketing & Strategy | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Duane Hallock