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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.

• Go to Chapter 8 Part C: Writing your Business Plans Goals and Objectives
• Go Back to Chapter 7 : H ow to Write a Business Plan Executive Summary
• Go Back to Introduction and Table of Content

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Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics

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Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics – These are 5 statements which form the two aspects of the business-

• What the organizations want to achieve – reflected by the Vision mission and objectives of companies.
• And how they are going to achieve the above “what ”- reflected by the Strategies and Tactics. These are long term and short-term implementation plans respectively.

Organizations gain real strength when these statements show:

• Completeness, and are consistent with each other.

It implies that there should be an alignment between these statements. You can ensure this alignment by the assessment of:

• Definition:   If these statements are defined for the foundation of organization success?
• Clarity: If these provide a direction and plan for the work, organizational resources do?
• Communication:  Are Organisation resources aware of these statements? And use them as a context of the work, they do?
• Commitment:  If these statements make people supportive of the organization’s intent? And, if they agreed to the content of these statements?

If your assessment says “Yes” on the above-mentioned parameters- it significantly ensures internal organization capability.

And, if any of the above is lacking, then there is a potential of weakness. This weakness limits and undermines organization success. These statements are vital in assessing the internal capabilities and limitations of the organization.

Let’s see how these statements create a foundation of organization Success? I am beginning with the comprehension of these statements.

What are the vision mission and objective of Companies?

A vision is a Big Picture of “What” the organization wants to achieve in Future. It should inspire people in the organization. It excites people to be part of “What.” And, also motivate to put their energy and time to achieve the future. How do you write a good vision statement? What does a vision stamen include? Let’s take an example of an agriculture business:

“A Vibrant Economy is driven by value-added agriculture” Here the Vibrant Economy has the ability to inspire the people involved in this agricultural business. A good vision statement inspires to create a movement. It describes the desired outcome to invoke a mental image of the organization.

2. Mission:

A Mission is about what the organization does to achieve the vision.  A mission is an action statement to achieve the vision. A mission statement is not required to be inspirational. Instead, it provides a clear focus on what an organization does and what it doesn’t.

What should be included in a mission statement? What do you think a good mission statement can look like for the above vision statement?

Let’s see the below example…

“To create and facilitate the development of value-added agriculture”

Here “Create and facilitate” are two clear focus areas. The organization put its energy into these two areas. The organization makes efforts for the development (Create) and to ease (facilitate) the agriculture business. And, whatever is not mentioned here, the organization is not involved.  It is a clear direction about what the organization does and what it doesn’t.

A mission statement is simple, direct and operative. Now the question is – how do you write a powerful mission statement? What makes an effective mission statement? Let’s see the following characteristics of a good mission statement:

• Short: The mission  statement should be easy to remember.  Each person in organizations should be aware of the mission statement to use in context with the work he/she does.
• Simple: Mission statement language should be of everyday life. We do not use words like stakeholder values, financial goals, and best practices in daily life. For example, a mission statement – “Help people in achieving work using best practices.” How many people dream about best practices? The answer is very few; do you believe, people talk in such a language. The answer is ‘NO.’
• Operative: A mission statement should provide a clear direction. It should focus on what an organization does.  It also gives a clear route about initiative and resource allocation.

So, what kinds of resources needed for the mission statement mentioned above for the agriculture business?

• Probably SME, who can provide their services for the development and facilitation of the agriculture business.
• And farmers involved for the financial support in the venture.

A mission statement should help to understand:

• “Who we are”,
• “What we do”
• and to “which industry we belong to”

For example, mission statements like “Increasing customer satisfaction”.  Well, it is impossible, anyways – does it provide to which industry a mission belongs to? Or what the organization controls? The answer is no, and hence we cannot claim it as a mission statement. An organization should try to find out a mission statement, which can drive them.

3. Goals & Objectives:

Goals are statements of mileposts to achieve the vision.  Goals describe – what you want to achieve through your efforts.

And, an objective is a time-sensitive statement to achieve the goals. We defined it in measurable terms. Goals for the above-mentioned vision of agriculture business can be defined as, but not limited to:

• Improve profitability
• Increase volume
• Provide stability

A goal is a broad definition, saying “improve profitability”.  It lacks the specifics and defined in general and broad terms. Objectives, on the other hand, are quite specific and further define the goal. To continue with ‘profitability’ example, objectives can be defined as:

15k$ net profit as % of the sale in a year

10k$ net profit as % of investment in a year.

Here, the question is – How do you set a good objective. What are the smart objectives used for? Well, while explaining, objectives a SMART acronym is commonly used:

• Specific: It is entirely job-related. In the above example, “sales” and “investment” are related to the job.
• Measurable : Objectives are always defined in measurable terms. We can measure the above objectives using a target of 10k$ and 15k$ profit.
• Attainable : Objectives should be attainable within the provided environment and resources. Organizations need to analyze what is required to achieve defined objectives and need to need to make sure it continuously.
• Relevant:   Objectives should be aligned with goals. These goals are further aligned with the mission and vision of the organization.
• Time-Bounded : Objectives should be achievable within the provided time period and in our example, we identified time ‘a year’.

So without question, goals and objectives are similar (not same) and complement each other. With goals, there is no pressure to be specific, and in fact, goals are open-ended. Setting goals are useful as a broad outline. Yet, due to its fundamental nature of being broad and open-ended, these are not the ideal way to achieve something.

Whenever you want to achieve something – define a goal and then set a series of objectives to achieve those goals. To summarize goals are broad direction setting statements, objectives are more specific.  And both are designed to get you to take action.

4. Strategies:

Strategies are long term implementation plans to achieve the goals and objectives. These statements define how you can succeed in achieving your mission and stay along in the completion.  Strategies are likely to be defined following a SWOT analysis as both external and internal environment assessment is needed as an input to develop strategies.

How do you write an organizational strategy? Strategic options may include:

• The development of market or product or
• In some diversified cases, both the market and product development.

Example strategic options like:

• Increase Market (sale in customers),
• New Product (like product enhancement, product line extension, and products at different quality levels) and
• New distribution channel

These are examples of strategies to achieve goals and objectives. A strategy like- design social media promotion for the next year can be identified for the above-mentioned objectives. We can define one or many strategies for a combination of goals and objectives.

5. Tactics:

Tactics are short term implementation or action plan to deliver the long-term strategy. A grass-root level action plans are defined to ensure daily activities are in line with achieving the relevant strategy(s).

Tactics like a sales staff member are expected to do 10 social media activity daily, could be an example to deliver a long-term strategy.

Once you have defined all these 5 (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics) statements, you will have the foundation of your business. For this reason, we need to know that these five statements are open acted with each other.

You use these statements to assess the internal capabilities and limitations of an organization. Also, you examine these statements for their completeness, clarity, and awareness within organizations. If these qualities are missing, then you need a change to solve the identified organizational level internal weakness.

These statements should provide a clear focus and direction and should serve as an internal strength for the organization.

You may watch and listen to the following video presentation on the difference between Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics. This video will give you a walkthrough to write a good vision, mission, goals, and objectives, and will provide you with a fair idea of how these are related to others:

I hope this blog has answered your all queries related to Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Tactics.

PMP Exam Practice Questions

As you prepare for the PMP Certification Exam, we’re thrilled to present our latest addition: a set of carefully curated practice questions. Designed to closely reflect the actual PMP exam’s complexity and style, these questions cover key domains including People, Process, and Business Environment, as outlined in the PMP Exam Content Outline (ECO) . Each question is complemented by video explanations, offering deeper insights and enhancing your learning experience. Check Out PMP Questions

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Goals and Objectives for Business Plan with Examples

NOV.05, 2023

Every business needs a clear vision of what it wants to achieve and how it plans to get there. A business plan is a document that outlines the goals and objectives of a business, as well as the strategies and actions to achieve them. A well-written business plan from business plan specialists can help a business attract investors, secure funding, and guide its growth.

Understanding Business Objectives

Business objectives are S pecific, M easurable, A chievable, R elevant, and T ime-bound (SMART) statements that describe what a business wants to accomplish in a given period. They are derived from the overall vision and mission of the business, and they support its strategic direction.

Business plan objectives can be categorized into different types, depending on their purpose and scope. Some common types of business objectives are:

• Financial objectives
• Operational objectives
• Marketing objectives
• Social objectives

For example, a sample of business goals and objectives for a business plan for a bakery could be:

• To increase its annual revenue by 20% in the next year.
• To reduce its production costs by 10% in the next six months.
• To launch a new product line of gluten-free cakes in the next quarter.
• To improve its customer satisfaction rating by 15% in the next month.

The Significance of Business Objectives

Business objectives are important for several reasons. They help to:

• Clarify and direct the company and stakeholders
• Align the company’s efforts and resources to a common goal
• Motivate and inspire employees to perform better
• Measure and evaluate the company’s progress and performance
• Communicate the company’s value and advantage to customers and the market

For example, by setting a revenue objective, a bakery can focus on increasing its sales and marketing efforts, monitor its sales data and customer feedback, motivate its staff to deliver quality products and service, communicate its unique selling points and benefits to its customers, and adjust its pricing and product mix according to market demand.

Advantages of Outlining Business Objectives

Outlining business objectives is a crucial step in creating a business plan. It serves as a roadmap for the company’s growth and development. Outlining business objectives has several advantages, such as:

• Clarifies the company’s vision, direction, scope, and boundaries
• Break down the company’s goals into smaller tasks and milestones
• Assigns roles and responsibilities and delegates tasks
• Establishes standards and criteria for success and performance
• Anticipates risks and challenges and devises contingency plans

For example, by outlining its business objective for increasing the average revenue per customer in its business plan, a bakery can:

• Attract investors with its viable business plan for investors
• Secure funding from banks or others with its realistic financial plan
• Partner with businesses or organizations that complement or enhance its products or services
• Choose the best marketing, pricing, product, staff, location, etc. for its target market and customers

Setting Goals and Objectives for a Business Plan

Setting goals and objectives for a business plan is not a one-time task. It requires careful planning, research, analysis, and evaluation. To set effective goals and objectives for a business plan, one should follow some best practices, such as:

OPTION 1: Use the SMART framework. A SMART goal or objective is clear, quantifiable, realistic, aligned with the company’s mission and vision, and has a deadline. SMART stands for:

• Specific – The goal or objective should be clear, concise, and well-defined.
• Measurable – The goal or objective should be quantifiable or verifiable.
• Achievable – The goal or objective should be realistic and attainable.
• Relevant – The goal or objective should be aligned with the company’s vision, mission, and values.
• Time-bound – The goal or objective should have a deadline or timeframe.

For example, using the SMART criteria, a bakery can refine its business objective for increasing the average revenue per customer as follows:

• Specific – Increase revenue with new products and services from $5 to $5.50.
• Measurable – Track customer revenue monthly with sales reports.
• Achievable – Research the market, develop new products and services, and train staff to upsell and cross-sell.
• Relevant – Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, profitability and cash flow, and market competitiveness.
• Time-bound – Achieve this objective in six months, from January 1st to June 30th.

OPTION 2: Use the OKR framework. OKR stands for O bjectives and K ey R esults. An OKR is a goal-setting technique that links the company’s objectives with measurable outcomes. An objective is a qualitative statement of what the company wants to achieve. A key result is a quantitative metric that shows how the objective will be achieved.

OPTION 3: Use the SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for S trengths, W eaknesses, O pportunities, and T hreats. A SWOT analysis is a strategic tool that helps the company assess the internal and external factors that affect its goals and objectives.

• Strengths – Internal factors that give the company an advantage over others. 
• Weaknesses – Internal factors that limit the company’s performance or growth. 
• Opportunities – External factors that allow the company to improve or expand. 
• Threats – External factors that pose a risk or challenge to the company.

For example, using these frameworks, a bakery might set the following goals and objectives for its SBA business plan :

Objective – To launch a new product line of gluten-free cakes in the next quarter.

Key Results:

• Research gluten-free cake market demand and preferences by month-end.
• Create and test 10 gluten-free cake recipes by next month-end.
• Make and sell 100 gluten-free cakes weekly online or in-store by quarter-end.

SWOT Analysis:

• Expertise and experience in baking and cake decorating.
• Loyal and satisfied customer base.
• Strong online presence and reputation.

Weaknesses:

• Limited production capacity and equipment.
• High production costs and low-profit margins.
• Lack of knowledge and skills in gluten-free baking.

Opportunities:

• Growing demand and awareness for gluten-free products.
• Competitive advantage and differentiation in the market.
• Potential partnerships and collaborations with health-conscious customers and organizations.
• Increasing competition from other bakeries and gluten-free brands.
• Changing customer tastes and preferences.
• Regulatory and legal issues related to gluten-free labeling and certification.

Examples of Business Goals and Objectives

To illustrate how to write business goals and objectives for a business plan, let’s use a hypothetical example of a bakery business called Sweet Treats. Sweet Treats is a small bakery specializing in custom-made cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods for various occasions.

Here are some examples of possible startup business goals and objectives for Sweet Treats:

Earning and Preserving Profitability

Profitability is the ability of a company to generate more revenue than expenses. It indicates the financial health and performance of the company. Profitability is essential for a business to sustain its operations, grow its market share, and reward its stakeholders.

Some possible objectives for earning and preserving profitability for Sweet Treats are:

• To increase the gross profit margin by 5% in the next quarter by reducing the cost of goods sold
• To achieve a net income of $100,000 in the current fiscal year by increasing sales and reducing overhead costs

Ensuring Consistent Cash Flow

Cash flow is the amount of money that flows in and out of a company. A company needs to have enough cash to cover its operating expenses, pay its debts, invest in its growth, and reward its shareholders.

Some possible objectives for ensuring consistent cash flow for Sweet Treats are:

• Increase monthly operating cash inflow by 15% by the end of the year by improving the efficiency and productivity of the business processes
• Increase the cash flow from investing activities by selling or disposing of non-performing or obsolete assets

Creating and Maintaining Efficiency

Efficiency is the ratio of output to input. It measures how well a company uses its resources to produce its products or services. Efficiency can help a business improve its quality, productivity, customer satisfaction, and profitability.

Some possible objectives for creating and maintaining efficiency for Sweet Treats are:

• To reduce the production time by 10% in the next month by implementing lean manufacturing techniques
• To increase the customer service response rate by 20% in the next week by using chatbots or automated systems

Winning and Keeping Clients

Clients are the people or organizations that buy or use the products or services of a company. They are the source of revenue and growth for a company. Therefore, winning and keeping clients is vital to generating steady revenue, increasing customer loyalty, and enhancing word-of-mouth marketing.

Some possible objectives for winning and keeping clients for Sweet Treats are:

• To acquire 100 new clients in the next quarter by launching a referral program or a promotional campaign
• To retain 90% of existing clients in the current year by offering loyalty rewards or satisfaction guarantees

Building a Recognizable Brand

A brand is the name, logo, design, or other features distinguishing a company from its competitors. It represents the identity, reputation, and value proposition of a company. Building a recognizable brand is crucial for attracting and retaining clients and creating a loyal fan base.

Some possible objectives for building a recognizable brand for Sweet Treats are:

• To increase brand awareness by 50% in the next six months by creating and distributing engaging content on social media platforms
• To improve brand image by 30% in the next year by participating in social causes or sponsoring events that align with the company’s values

Expanding and Nurturing an Audience with Marketing

An audience is a group of people interested in or following a company’s products or services. They can be potential or existing clients, fans, influencers, or partners. Expanding and nurturing an audience with marketing is essential for increasing a company’s visibility, reach, and engagement.

Some possible objectives for expanding and nurturing an audience with marketing for Sweet Treats are:

• To grow the email list by 1,000 subscribers in the next month by offering a free ebook or a webinar
• To nurture leads by sending them relevant and valuable information through email newsletters or blog posts

Strategizing for Expansion

Expansion is the process of increasing a company’s size, scope, or scale. It can involve entering new markets, launching new products or services, opening new locations, or forming new alliances. Strategizing for expansion is important for diversifying revenue streams, reaching new audiences, and gaining competitive advantages.

Some possible objectives for strategizing for expansion for Sweet Treats are:

• To launch a new product or service line by developing and testing prototypes
• To open a new branch or franchise by securing funding and hiring staff

Template for Business Objectives

A template for writing business objectives is a format or structure that can be used as a guide or reference for creating your objectives. A template for writing business objectives can help you to ensure that your objectives are SMART, clear, concise, and consistent.

To use this template, fill in the blanks with your information. Here is an example of how you can use this template:

Example of Business Objectives

Our business is a _____________ (type of business) that provides _____________ (products or services) to _____________ (target market). Our vision is to _____________ (vision statement) and our mission is to _____________ (mission statement).

Our long-term business goals and objectives for the next _____________ (time period) are:

S pecific: We want to _____________ (specific goal) by _____________ (specific action).

M easurable: We will measure our progress by _____________ (quantifiable indicator).

A chievable: We have _____________ (resources, capabilities, constraints) that will enable us to achieve this goal.

R elevant: This goal supports our vision and mission by _____________ (benefit or impact).

T ime-bound: We will complete this goal by _____________ (deadline).

Repeat this process for each goal and objective for your business plan.

How to Monitor Your Business Objectives?

After setting goals and objectives for your business plan, you should check them regularly to see if you are achieving them. Monitoring your business objectives can help you to:

• Track your progress and performance
• Identify and overcome any challenges
• Adjust your actions and strategies as needed

Some of the tools and methods that you can use to monitor your business objectives are:

• Dashboards – Show key data and metrics for your objectives with tools like Google Data Studio, Databox, or DashThis.
• Reports – Get detailed information and analysis for your objectives with tools like Google Analytics, Google Search Console, or SEMrush.
• Feedback – Learn from your customers and their needs and expectations with tools like SurveyMonkey, Typeform, or Google Forms.

Strategies for Realizing Business Objectives

To achieve your business objectives, you need more than setting and monitoring them. You need strategies and actions that support them. Strategies are the general methods to reach your objectives. Actions are the specific steps to implement your strategies.

Different objectives require different strategies and actions. Some common types are:

• Marketing strategies
• Operational strategies
• Financial strategies
• Human resource strategies
• Growth strategies

To implement effective strategies and actions, consider these factors:

• Alignment – They should match your vision, mission, values, goals, and objectives
• Feasibility – They should be possible with your capabilities, resources, and constraints
• Suitability – They should fit the context and needs of your business

How OGSCapital Can Help You Achieve Your Business Objectives?

We at OGSCapital can help you with your business plan and related documents. We have over 15 years of experience writing high-quality business plans for various industries and regions. We have a team of business plan experts who can assist you with market research, financial analysis, strategy formulation, and presentation design. We can customize your business plan to suit your needs and objectives, whether you need funding, launching, expanding, or entering a new market. We can also help you with pitch decks, executive summaries, feasibility studies, and grant proposals. Contact us today for a free quote and start working on your business plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the goals and objectives in business.

Goals and objectives in a business plan are the desired outcomes that a company works toward. To describe company goals and objectives for a business plan, start with your mission statement and then identify your strategic and operational objectives. To write company objectives, you must brainstorm, organize, prioritize, assign, track, and review them using the SMART framework and KPIs.

What are the examples of goals and objectives in a business plan?

Examples of goals and objectives in a business plan are: Goal: To increase revenue by 10% each year for the next five years. Objective: To launch a new product line and create a marketing campaign to reach new customers.

What are the 4 main objectives of a business?

The 4 main objectives of a business are economic, social, human, and organic. Economic objectives deal with financial performance, social objectives deal with social responsibility, human objectives deal with employee welfare, and organic objectives deal with business growth and development.

What are goals and objectives examples?

Setting goals and objectives for a business plan describes what a business or a team wants to achieve and how they will do it. For example: Goal: To provide excellent customer service. Objective: To increase customer satisfaction scores by 20% by the end of the quarter. 

At OGSCapital, our business planning services offer expert guidance and support to create a realistic and actionable plan that aligns with your vision and mission. Get in touch to discuss further!

OGSCapital’s team has assisted thousands of entrepreneurs with top-rate business plan development, consultancy and analysis. They’ve helped thousands of SME owners secure more than $1.5 billion in funding, and they can do the same for you.

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• OKR Fundamentals

Defining Vision and Mission: The Foundations of Strategy

Your company’s Vision and Mission are the foundational elements of your strategy, determining the entire approach you will take toward setting and achieving your goals. However, it is also an important exercise that shows whether or not you have a clear understanding of your company and its goals.

If implementing OKRs is Step 1 of Project Management, defining Vision and Mission is Step 0. So get a cup of coffee and check out our step-by-step guide!

What is a Vision Statement?

Imagine you’re sending a postcard from the future; that’s your Vision statement. It’s a vivid description of what the world will look like once your project or company has achieved its ultimate goal. 

In less poetic terms, The Vision Statement is a forward-looking declaration of where the company aspires to be . It serves as a guide for choosing current and future courses of action.

Here are three famous Vision statements from companies you may have heard about:

• Tesla : “To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles.”
• Twitter : “We believe in free expression and think every voice has the power to impact the world.”
• Alphabet (Google): “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”

NOTE : Did you notice the difference in specificity between Tesla and the other two? As a company grows and gets into more and more industries, its mission statement tends to become more abstract. So it’s entirely up to you how specific you want to be in your Vision — as long as you can get everyone behind it, anything goes.

What is more important in the context of OKRs is that Vision sets the direction and inspires everyone involved to aim for the same endpoint. The endpoint to which your OKRs will align the entire company. If you get the Vision wrong, you might lead everyone astray. No pressure!

Step-by-Step Guide to Finding Your Company’s Vision

Generally, every company is founded with a particular Vision. After all, the ultimate goal of any business is to solve a customer’s problem. The founder just may not know that this is the Vision, and therefore, they may not communicate it enough to employees.

So, the trick here is not to develop a drastically new direction. It is to make everyone realize what they have been doing all along. 

• Identify Long-Term Goals. Consider the impact you want to have in the future, let’s say 20 years from now. Actually, how about 50 years from now? 100? Dream big.
• Focus on Possibilities. Imagine the future without the constraints of the present. Think broadly about the ultimate impact or end-state you desire.
• Create Several Drafts . Articulate your long-term goals in a concise statement. Make it inspiring and aspirational. Ensure it is broad enough to allow for growth and change.
• Validate the Final Draft. Test the vision statement with stakeholders (e.g., employees, customers, advisors). Refine it to ensure it resonates and is clear to all audiences.
• Communicate . Once the Vision Statement is solidified, communicate it via all available channels. Integrate the vision into all strategic decisions and operations.

If you need inspiration, consider the Company Vision examples above. Alternatively, check out this Vision statement for a SaaS company: “to become the leading data analytics platform and revolutionize the way businesses interact with their data.” It is just generic enough to give your company a goal to strive for without pigeonholing your decision-making process.

Because the latter is what the Mission is for.

What is A Mission Statement?

If the Vision is where you’re going, the Mission is how you plan to get there. It outlines the purpose of your project or organization and the key strategies you will use to achieve your Vision.

Once again, without waxing poetically, the Mission Statement describes the company’s current objectives and approach to reaching those goals . It serves as a roadmap for achieving the Vision.

Here are three Mission Statements from some of the world’s top companies:

• Tesla : “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy through increasingly affordable electric vehicles in addition to renewable energy generation and storage. .”
• Twitter : “Reach the largest daily audience in the world by connecting everyone to their world via our information sharing and distribution platform products and be one of the top revenue-generating Internet companies in the world.”
• Alphabet (Google): “To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

In the context of OKRs, consider the Mission Statement your top-level Objective. It still shouldn’t be as specific as Key Results since it will restrict your decision-making too much. 

Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Company’s Mission

The Mission does not tolerate the abstract and undefined and exists to clarify and crystallize your Vision into an actionable plan. Unlike the Vision, which allows us to dream big and consider long-term goals, the Mission is about here and now.

So, when creating the Mission Statement, you need to focus not only on what you want to do but also on how you can do it.

• Analyze Your Unique Value . Understand what your company does best. Identify the value your company provides to customers.
• Define Your Key Markets. Clearly define who your customers are or who you want them to be. Consider the demographics, geographics, and psychographics of your target market.
• Define Your Contribution to Stakeholders. Determine how your company serves its stakeholders—this includes customers, employees, shareholders, communities, and possibly more.
• State Your Core Values. Identify the principles and beliefs that guide your company’s culture and decision-making processes. These should be actionable and evident in the daily operations of the company.
• Write the Mission Statement. Combine the information from steps 1-4 into a coherent statement. Keep it clear, concise, and actionable. The statement should include what the company does, how it does it, whom it serves, and why it serves them. Keep the language clear and jargon-free; the statements should be understandable by anyone.
• Review and Refine. Evaluate the draft with a diverse group of stakeholders. Involve a mix of people from different levels and departments. Refine the mission statement until it accurately reflects the company’s purpose and is practical.
• Finalize and Implement. Confirm the final version of the mission statement. Communicate it to all stakeholders. Embed the mission in all aspects of your business operations, from marketing to internal decision-making processes.

An example of a Mission Statement for the same small SaaS company would be “to empower organizations of all sizes to make data-driven decisions and deliver real-time insights and analytics with unwavering reliability and customer support.”

The Difference Between Vision and Mission Statements

The vision and mission statements serve complementary yet distinct roles in an organization.

The vision statement is aspirational, outlining a future state of what an organization ultimately wants to achieve; it’s the destination on the company’s journey. This statement should be inspiring and serve as a north star for long-term planning, giving everyone a clear idea of the direction the company is heading.

On the other hand, the mission statement is grounded in the present. It defines the organization’s purpose, including the scope of its operations, its primary goals, and the key strategies it uses to achieve them. 

While the vision statement is dream-oriented , the mission statement is action-oriented , detailing the path the company will take to reach its vision. Together, these statements provide a strategic framework for an organization, guiding decision-making and ensuring that all levels of the company work cohesively towards a common goal.

How to Connect Vision and Mission to OKRs

As we’ve established, the Mission is essentially your top-level Objective. So, linking OKRs to your company’s Mission is a powerful way to ensure that all efforts and resources are aligned with the fundamental purpose of the organization. 

So, let’s take our Mission — “To empower organizations of all sizes to make data-driven decisions and deliver real-time insights and analytics with unwavering reliability and customer support” — and connect OKRs to it.

Step 1. Understand Your Mission

Ensure that the Mission statement of your company is clear, concise, and well-understood across the organization. The Mission articulates your company’s purpose and the reason for its existence.

Step 2. Break Down the Mission

Disassemble the Mission into its core components to understand the areas it touches upon, such as customer satisfaction, innovation, market leadership, etc. Each component of the Mission can be translated into a high-level objective. 

For example, part of our Mission is to empower companies to make data-driven decisions — so an objective could be to “Launch a practical, innovative analytics platform.”

Step 3. Set Strategic Objectives

When setting strategic Objectives, ensure they serve the purpose articulated in the Mission statement. Objectives should be ambitious, actionable, and provide clear direction.

TIP : If you want to learn more about setting Objectives, check out our article How to Write OKRs That Help You Succeed .

For example, let’s write some Objectives for our Mission:

• [O] Launch a practical, innovative analytics platform
• [O] Improve Customer Success Outcomes
• [O] Cultivate a Data-Driven Culture Internally

Ensure that Objectives are cascaded down through the different levels of the organization. Each department and team should have Objectives that contribute to the overall Mission.

TIP : We explain OKR cascading and breakdown in our OKR Alignment and Breakdown Guide .

Step 4. Define Key Results

Key Results should be quantifiable and measurable outcomes that indicate progress toward each Objective. They also must be directly related to the Objectives and, thereby, to the Mission. If the Key Result doesn’t clearly support the Mission, it should be reconsidered.

Let’s take one of our Objectives and write some Key Results for it:

• [KR] Achieve a customer satisfaction score (CSAT) of 90% by Q2.
• [KR] Reduce average customer support ticket resolution time by 25% by the end of Q3.
• [KR] Increase customer retention rates by 10% by Q4.

TIP : OKR Alignment and Breakdown Guide gives several examples of breaking Objectives into Key Results.

And you can take it all a step further and connect your Key Results to your Jira Epics and Tasks with OKR Board for Jira ! It’s a powerful OKR platform that automates your OKR management and reporting, making the entire OKR management process much easier, faster, and more straightforward.

Defining your company’s Vision and Mission is the first step on the road to goal-setting, and it’s a step you must make. It’s not going to be easy or quick — in fact, sometimes finalizing the Vision and Mission can take weeks — but it’s necessary. They are essential to aligning your teams and ensuring everyone is rowing in the same direction.

Establishing these cornerstones may seem daunting, but remember that they are dynamic and can evolve as your company grows and adapts. The key is to start with a solid foundation that genuinely reflects your company’s core intent and desired future state.

Suppose you’re ready to move beyond the foundational Vision and Mission towards a robust implementation of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs). In that case, Oboard OKR Consulting can provide the expertise and guidance you need. We provide free OKR reviews and have extensive courses on every aspect and level of OKRs.

We approach OKR implementation with a no-nonsense, pragmatic methodology tailored to your unique business context. Our focus is to translate your mission into actionable objectives, ensuring every key result is a stepping stone toward your vision.

Let us help you craft OKRs that not only reflect your mission but make your vision an achievable reality. Reach out to Oboard OKR Consulting Team — where strategy meets execution and ambitions become outcomes.

Latest articles

The Beginner’s Guide to Vision and Mission Statements

Running a successful business involves careful planning and focus. Part of the process includes setting goals and determining a clear-cut purpose.

Two elements critical in defining your business objectives are your vision statement and mission statement. These documents state and summarize your short-term and long-term goals, which is also why the lines get blurry with them. 

Each statement serves a different purpose: a mission statement describes what a company wants to do now ; a vision statement outlines what it wants to do in the future .

Let’s dive deeper into vision and mission statements to understand why they’re crucial for your business and discuss how you can create these documents for your own business.

What is a Vision Statement?

A vision statement is a brief, clear, and definitive description of a company‘s aspirations and the kind of impact it aims to create. Think of it as a guiding beacon that tells people within the organization what the business wants to accomplish and what will happen once they achieve that vision. 

It helps facilitate internal decision-making and determines the intended direction of the organization. You can also use it to describe the future of the business while simultaneously emphasizing its overall purpose.

To put things into perspective, a vision statement tells you what you want to become and then gives you a sense of direction to achieve it. 

• What are your hopes and dreams and goals for your business?
• Are there any problems your business can solve for the greater good?
• What kind of change are you trying to bring?

As you may have realized, vision statements are future-oriented. But because it has a direct and transcendent nature, they are written in the present tense. It tries to encapsulate the strategic goals for a company and informs everyone what the company values most.

What is a Mission Statement?

A mission statement explains an organization’s core objectives, values, and aims concisely and descriptively. It’s a declaration that defines the daily activities of an organization and how every person working within it will contribute to that overall mission.

The primary purpose of a mission statement is to drive a company toward its goals. In addition to outlining what you do and the core components of your business, it tries to clarify objectives and how you can fulfill them. The idea here is to motivate and inspire a team to consistently advance toward a common goal.

Consider the following questions when writing your mission statement:

• What do you do?
• Who do you do it for?
• How do you serve them?

A mission statement is affirmative, so they typically start with “We provide…” or “We offer…“. You can also use it as a performance standard to help employees make better decisions.

The Basics of Vision and Mission Statements

This section will detail the basics—differences, similarities, and other nuances—of vision and mission statements. Knowing this will help you better understand what goes into making a good vision and mission statement.

Vision Statement vs. Mission Statement

Vision and mission statements are essential documents with different objectives.

A vision statement outlines what you want to become and how you want to impact society and its people. Whereas a mission statement is more present-focused and summarizes the primary goals, purposes, and values of an organization.

Put simply, a mission statement speaks to today, while a vision statement speaks to the future. Let’s take a look at Google‘s vision and mission statements to highlight this difference.

The company‘s vision statement is: “ To provide access to the world’s information in one click. ” 

Despite being short and to the point, Google effectively puts forward its ambitious long-term aspiration to provide people with the world’s information as quickly and efficiently as possible (“in one click”).

On the other hand, Google’s mission statement is: “ To organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. ” 

This statement aims to guide the company’s daily operations and inform everyone that Google’s primary job is to organize information to make it accessible and useful. Notice how it also complements the vision statement.

As you can see, while the vision statement is aspirational and more focused on the “why,” the mission statement is actionable and outlines the “what” and “how.” That’s how the documents differ from each other.

Collaborative Working 

Companies need vision and mission statements to define their purpose and stand out from their competitors. But before they develop them, they must know and be able to articulate their long-term and short-term objectives.

Both documents work together to keep a company focused on meeting pre-established goals and play a significant role in strategic planning. 

Every component of a vision and mission statement encourages involved parties to take productive efforts to boost efficiency while simultaneously aligning them to work toward achieving the same purpose. They also help attract the right talent, create an appropriate work culture, and increase productivity levels to achieve success.

On the contrary, a poorly written vision and mission statement present various challenges and setbacks. It’s because they lack detailed insights that are otherwise necessary to guide employees during operations and decision-making. 

Drafting A Vision Statement

As a vision statement is your end goal, you must clearly lay out your vision of the future you’re trying to build. It’s also why it makes sense to write your vision statement before your mission statement.

To write a vision statement, start by revisiting the different components of your business or marketing plan, including your elevator pitch, business goals, company values, SWOT analysis, business story, and brand identity.

Once you have it all together, distill everything into one sentence to create the vision statement and show the world what your company is working toward. 

Fitting everything in a single line is going to be difficult, but it isn’t impossible. A good way to start is by answering the following questions:

• What is the ultimate purpose of your business?
• What kind of problems do you want to solve through your product or service?
• How does your business aim to make the world better?
• How would you describe your hopes and dreams for the business’s impact?
• What change do you inspire to bring?

Next, work on distilling your answers down to the essentials. Remember, use clear language and concrete wording—similar to an elevator pitch.

The thought process is similar when writing a mission statement.

Drafting A Mission Statement

A mission statement is the core of all your operations that lists everything you must do to reach your vision—which you established in your vision statement. When done right, this document can become the driving force for your company, giving your team a common goal.

Essentially, your mission statement should define your plan of attack, drawing the route to your destination. To do this, consider the following:

• What conditions must be met to make your vision a reality?
• What do you have to do in your day-to-day to fulfill those conditions?
• Who do you serve, and how do you do it?
• How does your business help to make your vision real for your customers?

If you find it difficult to answer these questions, go through your target audience and buyer personas, buying cycle, and so on. Once that’s done, condense all your answers down into a single strong statement.

Again, cut out any jargon and use simple, meaningful language. The mission statement should be one to three sentences maximum, and never more than 100 words. Ideally, the shorter the better.

3 Tools to Improve Your Vision and Mission Statement

Since vision and mission statements answer crucial questions—why, how, and what—these documents are also a crucial component of your business plan. Read on as we discuss some of the best tools you can use to improve these documents.

Market and Vision Statement Templates

The internet is filled with vision and mission worksheet templates. All you need to do is answer various questions to discover details related to your business and then structure the answers to create the documents.

Take a look at Smartsheet’s mission statement template, for instance. It has two columns that explain what you need to consider and then an empty column to jot down answers—pretty straightforward, making it easier for you to create an effective one.

Vision and Mission Statement Generators

Vision and mission statement generators are tools designed to provide you with the necessary assistance to write good statements. However, most of them can’t produce truly useful statements because they don’t have the relevant information.

HoneyBook generator is one such tool.

While they cannot capture the true essence of how unique your vision and mission statement should be, they aren’t entirely useless. You can use these generators to get a better understanding of the tone and wording of these documents. Plus, use it for inspiration to get out of your head and see some new ideas that may spark something for you.

Business Plan Services

Remember how we mentioned a vision statement and mission statement are a vital part of a business plan? This is why online business plan services like LivePlan and Bizplan offer services to write these documents.

These services are similar to business plan software. The only difference is that they offer business and legal specialists who can help you gain a better understanding of the more complex aspects of your business, which, in turn, will make it easier for you to draft your vision and mission statements.

5 Tricks for Writing a Good Vision and Mission Statement

Let’s take a look at a few vision and mission statements best practices to help you create amazing ones for your business.

Clearly Define Your Future

Set up a meeting with your team and ask everyone to define the perfect state of being for your organization—why the company exists and its purpose. Write it down and find words that truly articulate your future goals and plans.

Remain in Sync

Ensure your vision and mission statements are in sync and connected by using words that resonate with your employees as well as third parties. It’s best to write your vision statement first and then use it as a guide when writing your mission statement.

Make Them Memorable and Achievable

Your vision and mission should be a stretch but always within reach. Draft them in a way that makes them to the point and easy to remember. Try to think of something that gives the reader goosebumps and encourages them to take immediate action without making them sound impossible or fanciful.

Align Them With Your Goals

Although this goes without saying, make sure you write statements that align with your goals. Whenever you change your goals and objectives, revisit your vision and mission and make the necessary changes. You may find yourself tweaking your mission statement more often than your vision statement.

Think About the Future 

Imagining your future five or ten years down the line is particularly important for your vision statement. But knowing your end goal will also help you draft a better mission statement to outline what steps you should take immediately to get there. 

We highly recommend conducting a gap analysis to compare current performance to desired performance. The end result will give you a better understanding of how or where your organization is struggling—and where there are opportunities to grow.

What to Do Next

After writing your vision and mission statement, your next step should focus on developing specific objectives to help you achieve your mission and vision. These objectives include specific measurable results, fulfilling which will help you accomplish your broad goals.

Create an action plan or a business plan that details how you plan on implementing the strategies and what actionable steps you’ll take to bring about changes in all the relevant sectors.

Privacy Overview

How to Write a Mission Statement + 10 Great Examples

16 min. read

Updated March 20, 2024

Why is an effective mission statement so valuable? It’s worth taking a minute to ask what it is about certain brands that keep us coming back. What is it about them that makes us spend more time, money, or effort over other options? Is it the price? Maybe the convenience? Or is it something more?

The brands and businesses that we really connect with do more than just supply a product or service . They showcase a purpose, a mission that we can get behind. This can be displayed in how they interact with customers, the organizations and communities they support, and even the way they develop their products.

And there’s no better way for a business owner to showcase this purpose, than through a well-written mission statement.

On this page

• What is a mission statement?

Mission statement or vision statement?

• Why write a mission statement?
• How to write a great mission statement
• 10 Examples of Great Mission Statements

A mission statement is a simple action-oriented statement that explains your company’s purpose. It summarizes what your company does for customers, employees, and owners, and typically includes general descriptions of your organization, its core function, and its goals. In short, you’re explaining what you do and why you do it within a mission statement.

Depending on the focus of your business, your mission statement may be even broader. Explaining not just how you serve your customers and employees, but your community and the world at large. Some businesses even opt to separate this larger aspiration into what’s known as a vision statement.

A vision statement is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a vision for the direction of your company and what it aspires to be. 

These two statements aren’t really interchangeable. They both reflect the purpose and goals of your business, but serve completely different purposes. Your mission statement is the roadmap to achieve your vision. Your vision statement is a much broader picture of the aspirations for your business. 

These can be completely separate written statements for your business, or they can be combined into a more comprehensive mission statement. Having all three does allow you to utilize them for different business purposes, so it may be worth developing variations over time.

Speaking of variations, it’s important to note that your mission statement will likely evolve over time as your business grows and changes. So, don’t be afraid to make adjustments when it seems necessary, and avoid looking for the perfect version of your mission statement. 

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I’ve had a 30-year love-hate relationship with mission statements. I’ve read thousands. I love it when a mission statement defines a business so well that it feels like strategy—which does happen—and I hate it when a mission statement is generic, stale, and completely useless. 

Just because a traditional business plan often includes a mission statement isn’t a reason to do one. If it’s not going to be useful for you and help guide your business, don’t bother. The vast majority of the mission statements are just meaningless hype that could be used to describe any business.

Don’t fall into the trap of writing a mission statement just because some checklist or expert said you had to. There are actually sites that poke fun at how most mission statements use vague, high-sounding phrases to say nothing. You should write a mission statement if you want to add clarity to your business goals and you want to get your employees, investors, and customers to understand what your organization is all about. 

Developing your company’s first mission statement, or writing a new or revised one, is your opportunity to define the company’s goals, ethics, culture, and norms for decision-making. The daily routine of business gets in the way sometimes, and a quick refresh with the mission statement helps you take a step back and remember what’s most important: the organization has a purpose. 

So how do you make a useful mission statement? Over the decades I’ve spent reading, writing, and evaluating business plans , I’ve come up with a process for developing a useful mission statement, and it boils down to these five steps.

1. Start with a market-defining story

A really good market-defining story explains the need, or the want, or—if you like jargon—the so-called “why to buy.” It defines the target customer or “buyer persona .” And it defines how your business is different from most others, or even unique. It simplifies thinking about what a business isn’t, what it doesn’t do.

Imagine a real person making the actual decision to buy what you sell. Why do they want it? How did they find your business? What does it do for them? The more concrete the story, the better. And keep that in mind for the actual mission statement wording: “The more concrete, the better.”

This isn’t literally part of the mission statement. Rather, it’s an important thing to have in your head while you write the mission statement. It’s in the background, between the words. If you’re having trouble getting started, make a quick list of what your company does and doesn’t do.

2. Define what your business does for its customers

Start your mission statement with the good you do. Use your market-defining story to suss out whatever it is that makes your business special for your target customer .

Don’t undervalue your business: You don’t have to cure cancer or stop global climate change to be doing good. Offering trustworthy auto repair, for example, narrowed down to your specialty in your neighborhood with your unique policies, is doing something good. So is offering excellent slow food in your neighborhood, with emphasis on organic and local, at a price premium.

This is a part of your mission statement, and a pretty crucial part at that—write it down.

If your business is good for the world, incorporate that here too. But claims about being good for the world need to be meaningful, and distinguishable from all the other businesses. Add the words “clean” or “green” if that’s really true and you keep to it rigorously. Don’t just say it, especially if it isn’t important or always true.

For example, Apple Computer’s 2020 mission statement is:

“Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms—iOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS—provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it..”

That one obviously passes the test of defining the company with flying colors. Nobody could mistake that mission for generic hype. And it’s an interesting change from the early mission as defined by founder Steve Jobs:

“To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind.”

Ikea, on the other hand, starts its mission statement with something that could be any company anywhere. “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the [sic] many people.” To its credit, it goes on to define a “rest of the mission” that could only be IKEA:

“We make this possible by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them.”

And note, in this mission statement, how Sweetgreen incorporates a world vision into a product-oriented mission statement:

“Founded in 2007, Sweetgreen is a destination for delicious food that’s both healthy for you and aligned with your values. We source local and organic ingredients from farmers we know and partners we trust, supporting our communities, and creating meaningful relationships with those around us. We exist to create experiences where passion and purpose come together.”

3. Define what your business does for its employees

Good businesses are good for their employees too or they don’t last. Keeping employees is better for the bottom line than turnover. Company culture matters. Rewarding and motivating people matters. A mission statement can define what your business offers its employees.

My recommendation is that you don’t simply assert how the business is good for employees—you define it here and then forever after make it true.

Qualities like fairness, diversity, respect for ideas and creativity, training, tools, empowerment, and the like, actually really matter. However, since every business in existence at least says that it prioritizes those things, strive for a differentiator and a way to make the general goals feel more concrete and specific.

Don’t worry about being fully unique

With this part of the mission statement, there’s a built-in dilemma. On the one hand, it’s good for everybody involved to use the mission statement to establish what you want for employees in your business. On the other hand, it’s hard to do that without falling into the trap of saying what every other business says.

Stating that you value fair compensation, room to grow, training, a healthy, creative work environment, and respect for diversity is probably a good idea, even if that part of your mission statement isn’t unique. That’s because the mission statement can serve as a reminder—for owners, supervisors, and workers—and as a lever for self-enforcement.

If you have a special view on your relationship with employees, write it into the mission statement. If your business is friendly to families, or to remote virtual workplaces, put that into your mission.

You may not need to focus on employees

And this is rare in mission statements. The vast majority are focused on messaging for customers. My recommendation here is not the norm. I include it because it’s good practice, even though not common.

While I consulted for Apple Computer, for example, that business differentiated its goals of training and empowering employees by making a point of bringing in very high-quality educators and presenters to help employees’ business expertise grow. That was part of the culture and, to my mind, part of the mission; but it wasn’t part of the mission statement. It could have been.

American Express, however, includes the team in its mission:

“We have a mission to be the world’s most respected service brand. To do this, we have established a culture that supports our team members, so they can provide exceptional service to our customers.”

4. Add what the business does for its owners

In business school, they taught us that the mission of management is to enhance the value of the stock. And shares of stock are ownership. Some would say that it goes without saying that a business exists to enhance the financial position of its owners, and maybe it does. However, only a small subset of all businesses are about the business buzzwords of “share value” and “return on investment.”

In the early years of my business, I wanted peace of mind about cash flow more than I wanted growth, and I wanted growth more than I wanted profits. So I wrote that into my mission statement. And at one point I realized I was also building a business that was a place where I was happy to be working, with people I wanted to work with; so I wrote that into my mission statement, too.

However, this element too, as with the suggestion about including employees, is unusual. Few mission statements do it. That’s understandable, since most mission statements are outward-facing only, aimed at customers and nobody else.

Still, some of the best mission statements incorporate a much broader sense of mission that includes, or at least implies, the mission of ownership.

Warby Parker, an eyewear company, does a great job at voicing a higher mission that includes customers, employees, and owners.

“Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially-conscious business.”

5. Discuss, digest, cut, polish, review, and revise

Good mission statements serve multiple functions, define objectives, and live for a long time. So, edit. This step is worth it.

Start by considering developing a full mission statement for internal use and using a customer-facing subset for general publication. That’s common. Many companies have segmented mission statements, with sections set aside and categorized by type or goal. Use bullet points or sections if that works for you. Part of the reason people confuse mission with mantra and vision is that many businesses use them together, and many others also redefine them to fit their context. So what a company does for customers is often called vision, despite the formal definition.

Remember, form follows function, in mission statements, as in all business writing. Make it work for your business. Or don’t do it at all. If you want to call it a vision, and that works for employees and customers, then do that.

Cut out general terms

As you edit, keep a sharp eye out for the buzzwords and hype that everybody claims. Cut as much as you can that doesn’t apply specifically to your business, except for the occasional special elements that—unique or not—can serve as long-term rules and reminders. Unique itself, the word, means literally, the only one in the world. Use it sparingly. Phrases such as “being the best possible,” “world-class,” and “great customer service” mean little because everybody uses them. Having great customer service is way harder than writing that into a mission statement.

Read other companies’ mission statements, but write a statement that is about you and not some other company. Make sure you actually believe in what you’re writing—your customers and your employees will soon spot a lie.

Then, listen. Show drafts to others, ask their opinions and really listen. Don’t argue, don’t convince them, just listen. And then edit again.

And, for the rest of your business’s life, review and revise it as needed. As with everything in a business plan, your mission statement should never get written in stone, and, much less, stashed in a drawer. Use it or lose it. Review and revise as necessary, because change is constant.

• Great Mission Statements: 10 Examples

If you’re looking for some inspiration to get you started on your own mission statement, here are a few of my favorites.

1. Southwest Airlines

“The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.”

What’s most interesting about Southwest’s mission statement is that they don’t mention anything about getting from point A to point B. Their mission is all about how they differentiate what, these days, can be seen as a commodity experience. They also focus on their own employees and the “spirit of the company”, not just the customer experience.

2. Urban Outfitters

“A lifestyle retailer dedicated to inspiring customers through a unique combination of product, creativity and cultural understanding. Founded in 1970 in a small space across the street from the University of Pennsylvania, Urban Outfitters now operates over 200 stores in the United States, Canada, and Europe, offering experiential retail environments and a well-curated mix of women’s, men’s, accessories and home product assortments.”

Urban Outfitters focuses on the experience that they deliver and the focus on what they do. Their mission drives what their stores look like and what their goal is: to inspire. They also nod to their heritage of starting small and growing.

“At Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI) we believe a life outdoors is a life well-lived. We believe that it’s in the wild, untamed and natural places that we find our best selves, so our purpose is to awaken a lifelong love of the outdoors, for all.”

REI’s mission focuses mostly on what it wants to do for its customers, but hidden in the mission statement is a mission to preserve the environment as well. Their focus on “getting outside” is what creates a connection between them and their customers.

4. Starbucks

“To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”

Starbucks expands on its mission statement by stating its core values. This is really an extension of the mission statement and explains how they focus on their customers, how they grow their company, and how they work with employees. You can read their values here .

5. Walgreens

“Walgreens’ mission is to be America’s most-loved pharmacy-led health, well-being, and beauty retailer. Its purpose is to champion everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

Walgreen’s mission really defines their goals: what they want to achieve and in what product categories they want to achieve it in. They also bring in their broader purpose when they talk about “everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.”

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

While Slack’s mission statement is short, it implies a lot. “Work” doesn’t just mean their customer’s work, it means their own work at their company. Their mission statement serves them both internally and externally.

7. The Coca Cola Company

“Refresh the world. Make a difference.”

Coca Cola takes a slightly different approach with a statement of purpose and then a vision statement. Their purpose is essentially their mission statement and says a lot for being so short. They want to refresh people in both body and spirit while making a positive impact on the world. Their vision also implies their goal of serving the entire world’s population which hits on their corporate and shareholder goals.

8. Patagonia

“We’re in business to save our home planet.”

Another short mission statement that says so much more than you would think at first glance. First and foremost, Patagonia doesn’t say that they are a non-profit – they state that they’re a business. And, this implies that they need to be a strong, healthy business to meet their goal of saving the planet. Their mission applies to their employees, their customers, their products, and their activism.

9. charity: water

“charity: water is a nonprofit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing countries.”

charity: water’s mission statement is clear and to the point – it simply describes what it does and who it does it for. For most non-profit mission statements, this is enough.

 10. Asana

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

Similar to other mission statements, Asana blends a message about what they do with a higher goal of enhancing the world outside of their company. Yet, they still hint at their target market and goals of being a world-wide company, thus improving the lives of their employees and shareholders.

See why 1.2 million entrepreneurs have written their business plans with LivePlan

Tim Berry is the founder and chairman of Palo Alto Software , a co-founder of Borland International, and a recognized expert in business planning. He has an MBA from Stanford and degrees with honors from the University of Oregon and the University of Notre Dame. Today, Tim dedicates most of his time to blogging, teaching and evangelizing for business planning.

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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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Mission vs. vision statements: definitions & examples

The lowdown on mission and vision statements (with definitions and examples)

Browse topics

What are mission and vision statements? A mission statement defines the organization’s business, its objectives, and how it will reach these objectives. A vision statement details where the organization aspires to go. Why does your company exist? What do you hope to accomplish in the next several years?

On the surface, those questions seem pretty straightforward. But if you’ve ever had to respond with something concise and powerful, you know that it’s way more challenging than it seems.

This is where your mission and vision statements come in. To craft them, you need to put in the work to understand what your company is all about, as well as where you’re headed in the future.

And once you’ve invested the elbow grease to do so, you’ll be prepared to respond to questions about your reason for being with something impressive – rather than silence and a deadpan expression.

So, let’s dig into everything you need to know about mission and vision statements, shall we?

Mission statements vs. vision statements

Sometimes the terms “mission statement” and “vision statement” are used interchangeably or even combined into a single statement.

But they mean two very different things. Your mission statement is what your company is doing right now, while your vision statement is what you hope to achieve in the future – where you are in this moment versus where you’re going. 

Let’s bring this home: if someone asks you, “So, what do you do?” you might say, “I’m a software developer at a mid-size software company” or “I’m a circus clown.”

But, what if they asked you, “What do you want to be doing five or 10 years from now?” Your answer might be a bit different, right?

Maybe you’d say, “My goal is to move into a management position where I oversee all of the company’s developers” or “Ultimately, I’d like to be a world-famous clown and the choice entertainer at birthday parties for celebrities’ kids.”

Mission statement examples

We’ve put together a mini list of inspiration to help you get started. Below are some winning mission statements from a few well-known companies. We know it’s tempting, but no, you cannot copy them. 

sweetgreen : “Our mission is to inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food.”

Nike : “Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world. *If you have a body, you are an athlete.” 

Etsy : “Our mission is to Keep Commerce Human.” 

LinkedIn : “Connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”

How to write a mission statement

Alright, now the real work begins: rolling up your sleeves and pulling together your own mission statement.

Let’s mention one more thing about what a mission is not – a slogan. A slogan (think “Just do it” or “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”) is a catchy marketing line that customers can immediately associate with a brand. Your mission statement is more than that. It captures the heart of your organization and explains why you do what you do and why you exist in the first place. 

A solid mission statement calls for you to dig deep, beyond just “Do a good job” or “Delight our customers”, which can make writing your mission statement tough. Fortunately, we’ve broken it down into three (kind of) easy steps.

1. Start with the basics

Mission statements run the gamut from one sentence to several paragraphs, and there’s a lot that they can include. Some mission statements even go into detail about how a company not only serves their customers, but also their employees and communities.

But, let’s just keep this simple for now. In its most basic form, your mission statement should capture: 

• What your company offers your customers (why do you exist?)
• Who your company serves (who are your target customers?)
• Why your company stands out (what makes you different from your competitors?)

Grab your favorite pen (we know you have one!) and a notepad and write a short (just a single sentence fragment will work) response to each of those prompts.

For example, imagine that you work for a software company that developed an app that uses highly tailored personality tests to match candidates with dream jobs. You might come up with something like this: 

• What your company offers your customers An easy solution to finding a dream job
• Who your company serves Young professionals who feel lost about their next career steps
• Why your company stands out Your personality assessments are patented and highly rated

Got your own answers scribbled down? Great! Let’s move to the next step.

2. Piece it together

You have the nuts and bolts of your mission statement figured out, but, let’s be honest, it’s still a hot mess. It’s time to tape them together into a more readable statement.

Begin rearranging the pieces, swapping in different words, and making other changes to come up with a few potential statements. 

Don’t feel like you’re married to the very first version you come up with. It’s all about trial and error here. Plus, the more options you come up with, the more flexibility you have to land on something that sings. 

Sticking with our personality test company example, you might develop these potential mission statements: 

• Helping young professionals find careers where they can thrive with patented and effective personality assessments.
• Growing tomorrow’s leaders through targeted personality assessments that match young professionals with careers.
• Forging career pathways for today’s professionals through effective personality assessments.
• Using patented and customized personality assessments to help young professionals find their perfect careers. 

They’re all pretty solid choices, right? Don’t worry. The next step will help us narrow these down.

3. Collect feedback and refine

Your mission statement captures your company as a whole, which means you can’t write it in a vacuum. Make sure it really does your organization justice by welcoming other viewpoints in the process. 

Collect feedback from your teammates, leaders, board of directors, and loyal customers. You can gather their thoughts through a formal survey, focus groups, or just casual one-on-one chats. 

Pull together all of the mission statements that you came up with (that you think are good options, of course), and ask questions like:

• Which of these statements do you like the most? Why?
• Which of these statements do you like the least? Why?
• Is there anything that you think these statements are missing?
• Do you have any other ideas for mission statements?

The trick here is that you can’t just collect that feedback – you should actually think about and work with it.  

Imagine that in response to the personality test mission statement options, most people agreed that they wanted to see something shorter and snappier. You take that in and end up with a final mission statement like this:

Building better careers through customized personality assessments.

Bam! You have your mission statement. It seems easy peasy laid out like this, right? But don’t fret if it’s not done in a snap for you. 

It might take some time and many rounds of revisions to nail it. That’s totally normal. Take it as a sign that you’re giving your mission statement the effort and consideration it deserves. 

Vision statement examples

Forecasting the future of your company – and with such bravado – makes creating a vision statement a strange (and somewhat braggy and therefore slightly uncomfortable) task. But, seriously, that’s what a vision is all about. See below for examples of companies who have taken this task and owned it.

Habitat for Humanity : “A world where everyone has a decent place to live.” 

Ford : “To become the world’s most trusted company.”

Ben & Jerry’s : “We make the best possible ice cream in the best possible way.” 

Dow : “We want to become the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive, and sustainable materials science company in the world. Our goal is to deliver value growth and best-in-class performance.”

You’ll notice that nonprofits tend to describe an ideal world while for-profit companies describe their place in an ideal world.

How to write a vision statement

You probably don’t have a crystal ball that will help you foresee the future of your company (although, if you do, are you willing to share?). 

So, coming up with your vision statement can be a challenge for someone without psychic abilities, since it makes you think super big. Zoom out and ask yourself, “What’s the ultimate purpose I’m serving?”

Have no fear, we’ve boiled this vital project into three approachable steps.

1. Define your end game

Start by understanding why your product or service matters. What does it help people do? How does it better their lives? 

Think about our career personality test example for a moment. What’s the end result there? Nope, it’s not the app itself. The ultimate result (and value!) is a match with a career that seems like a perfect fit.

Think of it this way: Your company is the road on which your customers are running a race. Once they cross the finish line, what do they get? This can help you see how what you’re doing makes a difference for your customers, your community, or even the world.

2. Pinpoint when you know you’ve made it

When you look five or 10 years down the road (let’s stop there for now), what fills out your win column? Jot down everything that comes to mind. 

Turning back to our personality test scenario, do you want to become the world’s most trusted resource for career exploration? Do you want to create a world where nobody hates their jobs? Do you want every person to have confidence in their next career step?

Remember, this is your chance to be ambitious and be bold, so don’t be timid. Find your swagger and go big!

3. Pull together your vision

Ok, you’re almost there. You have two elements locked down: 

• What you ultimately produce and why it matters
• How you’ll know when you’re successful

Now, similarly to what you did with your mission statement, it’s time to start piecing them together using different combinations and wording to see what you come up with. 

Sticking with our running career test example, your vision statement could be any one of the following (among many other gazillion options you come up with, of course).

• Position ourselves as the most trusted partner in career exploration.
• Build a world where absolutely nobody dreads heading to work.
• Create a career landscape where Monday is just as great as Friday.

Again, this is a game of trial and error until you’re happy with a near-final product that you can run by other people for feedback.

At the end of that, you’ll have a vision statement that sums up your goals for the future of your organization.

Purpose of vision and mission statements

We won’t be offended if you’re wondering, “What’s the point of all this?”

Trust us: creating these statements is worth the sweat. They’re far more than formalities and really can be useful for your organization.

Your mission statement highlights your company’s core values and helps everybody – from your customers to your employees – immediately understand what your business is about and how you’re different from your competitors.

Your vision statement serves as a roadmap of sorts. It’s an inspiring reminder of what you’re working toward, which is easy to lose sight of when you’re bombarded with the day to day.

But here’s the thing: you can’t stop at just creating them. In order for them to do their job, you need to actively promote and live them. 

That doesn’t just mean slapping them up on your website or printing them on a poster that hangs in your break room. You need to integrate them as core parts of your culture by always acting and making decisions with those statements in mind.

Plus, you need to educate your employees about what your mission and vision are, and what they really mean. One survey found that a whopping 61% of employees didn’t know their company’s mission statement. You can’t really expect your team to help you achieve your mission and vision if they don’t know what they are.

So, give new employees the message on day one. Make your company mission and vision part of the onboarding process for new hires, and return to these statements whenever you’re launching new projects, problem-solving, brainstorming, or making big decisions.

Do that, and your mission and vision statements won’t be a formality. They’ll be fundamental to the way you do business.

You may also like

Project poster template.

A collaborative one-pager that keeps your project team and stakeholders aligned

Confluence is a team workspace where organizations document and share their vision, plans, and goals to unify teamwork. 

Enable faster content collaboration for every team with Confluence

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• What is strategic planning? A 5-step gu ...

What is strategic planning? A 5-step guide

Strategic planning is a process through which business leaders map out their vision for their organization’s growth and how they’re going to get there. In this article, we'll guide you through the strategic planning process, including why it's important, the benefits and best practices, and five steps to get you from beginning to end.

Strategic planning is a process through which business leaders map out their vision for their organization’s growth and how they’re going to get there. The strategic planning process informs your organization’s decisions, growth, and goals.

Strategic planning helps you clearly define your company’s long-term objectives—and maps how your short-term goals and work will help you achieve them. This, in turn, gives you a clear sense of where your organization is going and allows you to ensure your teams are working on projects that make the most impact. Think of it this way—if your goals and objectives are your destination on a map, your strategic plan is your navigation system.

In this article, we walk you through the 5-step strategic planning process and show you how to get started developing your own strategic plan.

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What is strategic planning?

Strategic planning is a business process that helps you define and share the direction your company will take in the next three to five years. During the strategic planning process, stakeholders review and define the organization’s mission and goals, conduct competitive assessments, and identify company goals and objectives. The product of the planning cycle is a strategic plan, which is shared throughout the company.

What is a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is the end result of the strategic planning process. At its most basic, it’s a tool used to define your organization’s goals and what actions you’ll take to achieve them.

Typically, your strategic plan should include: 

Your company’s mission statement

Your organizational goals, including your long-term goals and short-term, yearly objectives

Any plan of action, tactics, or approaches you plan to take to meet those goals

What are the benefits of strategic planning?

Strategic planning can help with goal setting and decision-making by allowing you to map out how your company will move toward your organization’s vision and mission statements in the next three to five years. Let’s circle back to our map metaphor. If you think of your company trajectory as a line on a map, a strategic plan can help you better quantify how you’ll get from point A (where you are now) to point B (where you want to be in a few years).

When you create and share a clear strategic plan with your team, you can:

Build a strong organizational culture by clearly defining and aligning on your organization’s mission, vision, and goals.

Align everyone around a shared purpose and ensure all departments and teams are working toward a common objective.

Proactively set objectives to help you get where you want to go and achieve desired outcomes.

Promote a long-term vision for your company rather than focusing primarily on short-term gains.

Ensure resources are allocated around the most high-impact priorities.

Define long-term goals and set shorter-term goals to support them.

Assess your current situation and identify any opportunities—or threats—allowing your organization to mitigate potential risks.

Create a proactive business culture that enables your organization to respond more swiftly to emerging market changes and opportunities.

What are the 5 steps in strategic planning?

The strategic planning process involves a structured methodology that guides the organization from vision to implementation. The strategic planning process starts with assembling a small, dedicated team of key strategic planners—typically five to 10 members—who will form the strategic planning, or management, committee. This team is responsible for gathering crucial information, guiding the development of the plan, and overseeing strategy execution.

Once you’ve established your management committee, you can get to work on the planning process. 

Step 1: Assess your current business strategy and business environment

Before you can define where you’re going, you first need to define where you are. Understanding the external environment, including market trends and competitive landscape, is crucial in the initial assessment phase of strategic planning.

To do this, your management committee should collect a variety of information from additional stakeholders, like employees and customers. In particular, plan to gather:

Relevant industry and market data to inform any market opportunities, as well as any potential upcoming threats in the near future.

Customer insights to understand what your customers want from your company—like product improvements or additional services.

Employee feedback that needs to be addressed—whether about the product, business practices, or the day-to-day company culture.

Consider different types of strategic planning tools and analytical techniques to gather this information, such as:

A balanced scorecard to help you evaluate four major elements of a business: learning and growth, business processes, customer satisfaction, and financial performance.

A SWOT analysis to help you assess both current and future potential for the business (you’ll return to this analysis periodically during the strategic planning process). 

To fill out each letter in the SWOT acronym, your management committee will answer a series of questions:

What does your organization currently do well?

What separates you from your competitors?

What are your most valuable internal resources?

What tangible assets do you have?

What is your biggest strength? 

Weaknesses:

What does your organization do poorly?

What do you currently lack (whether that’s a product, resource, or process)?

What do your competitors do better than you?

What, if any, limitations are holding your organization back?

What processes or products need improvement? 

Opportunities:

What opportunities does your organization have?

How can you leverage your unique company strengths?

Are there any trends that you can take advantage of?

How can you capitalize on marketing or press opportunities?

Is there an emerging need for your product or service? 

What emerging competitors should you keep an eye on?

Are there any weaknesses that expose your organization to risk?

Have you or could you experience negative press that could reduce market share?

Is there a chance of changing customer attitudes towards your company? 

Step 2: Identify your company’s goals and objectives

To begin strategy development, take into account your current position, which is where you are now. Then, draw inspiration from your vision, mission, and current position to identify and define your goals—these are your final destination. 

To develop your strategy, you’re essentially pulling out your compass and asking, “Where are we going next?” “What’s the ideal future state of this company?” This can help you figure out which path you need to take to get there.

During this phase of the planning process, take inspiration from important company documents, such as:

Your mission statement, to understand how you can continue moving towards your organization’s core purpose.

Your vision statement, to clarify how your strategic plan fits into your long-term vision.

Your company values, to guide you towards what matters most towards your company.

Your competitive advantages, to understand what unique benefit you offer to the market.

Your long-term goals, to track where you want to be in five or 10 years.

Your financial forecast and projection, to understand where you expect your financials to be in the next three years, what your expected cash flow is, and what new opportunities you will likely be able to invest in.

Step 3: Develop your strategic plan and determine performance metrics

Now that you understand where you are and where you want to go, it’s time to put pen to paper. Take your current business position and strategy into account, as well as your organization’s goals and objectives, and build out a strategic plan for the next three to five years. Keep in mind that even though you’re creating a long-term plan, parts of your plan should be created or revisited as the quarters and years go on.

As you build your strategic plan, you should define:

Company priorities for the next three to five years, based on your SWOT analysis and strategy.

Yearly objectives for the first year. You don’t need to define your objectives for every year of the strategic plan. As the years go on, create new yearly objectives that connect back to your overall strategic goals . 

Related key results and KPIs. Some of these should be set by the management committee, and some should be set by specific teams that are closer to the work. Make sure your key results and KPIs are measurable and actionable. These KPIs will help you track progress and ensure you’re moving in the right direction.

Budget for the next year or few years. This should be based on your financial forecast as well as your direction. Do you need to spend aggressively to develop your product? Build your team? Make a dent with marketing? Clarify your most important initiatives and how you’ll budget for those.

A high-level project roadmap . A project roadmap is a tool in project management that helps you visualize the timeline of a complex initiative, but you can also create a very high-level project roadmap for your strategic plan. Outline what you expect to be working on in certain quarters or years to make the plan more actionable and understandable.

Step 4: Implement and share your plan

Now it’s time to put your plan into action. Strategy implementation involves clear communication across your entire organization to make sure everyone knows their responsibilities and how to measure the plan’s success. 

Make sure your team (especially senior leadership) has access to the strategic plan, so they can understand how their work contributes to company priorities and the overall strategy map. We recommend sharing your plan in the same tool you use to manage and track work, so you can more easily connect high-level objectives to daily work. If you don’t already, consider using a work management platform .  

A few tips to make sure your plan will be executed without a hitch: 

Communicate clearly to your entire organization throughout the implementation process, to ensure all team members understand the strategic plan and how to implement it effectively. 

Define what “success” looks like by mapping your strategic plan to key performance indicators.

Ensure that the actions outlined in the strategic plan are integrated into the daily operations of the organization, so that every team member's daily activities are aligned with the broader strategic objectives.

Utilize tools and software—like a work management platform—that can aid in implementing and tracking the progress of your plan.

Regularly monitor and share the progress of the strategic plan with the entire organization, to keep everyone informed and reinforce the importance of the plan.

Establish regular check-ins to monitor the progress of your strategic plan and make adjustments as needed. 

Step 5: Revise and restructure as needed

Once you’ve created and implemented your new strategic framework, the final step of the planning process is to monitor and manage your plan.

Remember, your strategic plan isn’t set in stone. You’ll need to revisit and update the plan if your company changes directions or makes new investments. As new market opportunities and threats come up, you’ll likely want to tweak your strategic plan. Make sure to review your plan regularly—meaning quarterly and annually—to ensure it’s still aligned with your organization’s vision and goals.

Keep in mind that your plan won’t last forever, even if you do update it frequently. A successful strategic plan evolves with your company’s long-term goals. When you’ve achieved most of your strategic goals, or if your strategy has evolved significantly since you first made your plan, it might be time to create a new one.

Build a smarter strategic plan with a work management platform

To turn your company strategy into a plan—and ultimately, impact—make sure you’re proactively connecting company objectives to daily work. When you can clarify this connection, you’re giving your team members the context they need to get their best work done. 

A work management platform plays a pivotal role in this process. It acts as a central hub for your strategic plan, ensuring that every task and project is directly tied to your broader company goals. This alignment is crucial for visibility and coordination, allowing team members to see how their individual efforts contribute to the company’s success. 

By leveraging such a platform, you not only streamline workflow and enhance team productivity but also align every action with your strategic objectives—allowing teams to drive greater impact and helping your company move toward goals more effectively. 

Strategic planning FAQs

Still have questions about strategic planning? We have answers.

Why do I need a strategic plan?

A strategic plan is one of many tools you can use to plan and hit your goals. It helps map out strategic objectives and growth metrics that will help your company be successful.

When should I create a strategic plan?

You should aim to create a strategic plan every three to five years, depending on your organization’s growth speed.

Since the point of a strategic plan is to map out your long-term goals and how you’ll get there, you should create a strategic plan when you’ve met most or all of them. You should also create a strategic plan any time you’re going to make a large pivot in your organization’s mission or enter new markets. 

What is a strategic planning template?

A strategic planning template is a tool organizations can use to map out their strategic plan and track progress. Typically, a strategic planning template houses all the components needed to build out a strategic plan, including your company’s vision and mission statements, information from any competitive analyses or SWOT assessments, and relevant KPIs.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. business plan?

A business plan can help you document your strategy as you’re getting started so every team member is on the same page about your core business priorities and goals. This tool can help you document and share your strategy with key investors or stakeholders as you get your business up and running.

You should create a business plan when you’re: 

Just starting your business

Significantly restructuring your business

If your business is already established, you should create a strategic plan instead of a business plan. Even if you’re working at a relatively young company, your strategic plan can build on your business plan to help you move in the right direction. During the strategic planning process, you’ll draw from a lot of the fundamental business elements you built early on to establish your strategy for the next three to five years.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. mission and vision statements?

Your strategic plan, mission statement, and vision statements are all closely connected. In fact, during the strategic planning process, you will take inspiration from your mission and vision statements in order to build out your strategic plan.

Simply put: 

A mission statement summarizes your company’s purpose.

A vision statement broadly explains how you’ll reach your company’s purpose.

A strategic plan pulls in inspiration from your mission and vision statements and outlines what actions you’re going to take to move in the right direction. 

For example, if your company produces pet safety equipment, here’s how your mission statement, vision statement, and strategic plan might shake out:

Mission statement: “To ensure the safety of the world’s animals.” 

Vision statement: “To create pet safety and tracking products that are effortless to use.” 

Your strategic plan would outline the steps you’re going to take in the next few years to bring your company closer to your mission and vision. For example, you develop a new pet tracking smart collar or improve the microchipping experience for pet owners. 

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. company objectives?

Company objectives are broad goals. You should set these on a yearly or quarterly basis (if your organization moves quickly). These objectives give your team a clear sense of what you intend to accomplish for a set period of time. 

Your strategic plan is more forward-thinking than your company goals, and it should cover more than one year of work. Think of it this way: your company objectives will move the needle towards your overall strategy—but your strategic plan should be bigger than company objectives because it spans multiple years.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. a business case?

A business case is a document to help you pitch a significant investment or initiative for your company. When you create a business case, you’re outlining why this investment is a good idea, and how this large-scale project will positively impact the business. 

You might end up building business cases for things on your strategic plan’s roadmap—but your strategic plan should be bigger than that. This tool should encompass multiple years of your roadmap, across your entire company—not just one initiative.

What’s the difference between a strategic plan vs. a project plan?

A strategic plan is a company-wide, multi-year plan of what you want to accomplish in the next three to five years and how you plan to accomplish that. A project plan, on the other hand, outlines how you’re going to accomplish a specific project. This project could be one of many initiatives that contribute to a specific company objective which, in turn, is one of many objectives that contribute to your strategic plan. 

What’s the difference between strategic management vs. strategic planning?

A strategic plan is a tool to define where your organization wants to go and what actions you need to take to achieve those goals. Strategic planning is the process of creating a plan in order to hit your strategic objectives.

Strategic management includes the strategic planning process, but also goes beyond it. In addition to planning how you will achieve your big-picture goals, strategic management also helps you organize your resources and figure out the best action plans for success. 

Related resources

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The Purpose of Mission and Vision Statements in Strategic Planning

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• Business Planning & Strategy
• Strategic Planning
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How to Celebrate Successes in the Workplace

The role of ethics & responsibilities in leading innovation & change, the differences between vision and mission objectives.

• How to Create Organizational Values Statements
• Steps of Transformational Leadership

Businesses often make or rewrite their strategic plans when the organizational structure is changing, or as a way to respond to changing market conditions. Change can be a difficult process and employees sometimes require time to get on on board with the decision-making process. One tool that can help is the clear articulation of the company's mission and vision statement. Articulating and repeating the positives of the move toward change in the organization will help employees stay engaged and motivated in the process.

What is Strategic Planning?

Change is an essential component of strategic planning. This involves moving the organization or program forward to create or change something. Some plans are created out of the need for the organization to move in a certain direction, and other plans develop organically. Mission and vision statements will be important to help communicate the goals of the plan to employees and the public.

Role of the Mission Statement

Leaders should emphasize the current mission statement to employees , which clarifies the purpose and primary, measurable objectives of the organization. A mission statement is meant for employees and leaders of the organization. Strategic plans may involve changing the mission statement to reflect a new direction of the organization. Highlighting the benefits of the change and minimizing the deficits will help employees and the public buy into the change.

Another way to look at it is that mission statements describe the company's mission as it is now and for the near future. So if the company is undergoing major changes, it would make sense to revise the mission statement so it is current.

Role of the Vision Statement

Like mission statements, vision statements help to describe the organization's purpose. Vision statements give direction for employee behavior and help provide inspiration. Strategic plans may require a marketing strategy, which could include the vision statement to also help inspire consumers to work with the organization.

A vision statement is a view into the future with hope and a positive outlook. It describes a company's inspirational, long-term plan for what they'll be able to accomplish, who they will help, and how the company will then be perceived. It's often out of reach for now, but not so far out of reach as to be unattainable. The vision statement gives everyone a description of what they're working towards.

Purposes of Strategic Planning

Strategic planning will likely have its successes and failures. Leaders should celebrate the little successes toward meeting objectives, which are part of the mission and vision statement. The mission statement will help measure whether the strategic plan aligns with the overall goals of the agency. The vision statement helps to provide inspiration to employees. Employees who feel invested in the organizational change are more likely to stay motivated and have higher levels of productivity.

Encouraging Continued Engagement

A successful change will involve communicating and repeating mission and vision statements, which helps prevent people from becoming discouraged in the event of small failures along the way. Leaders should continue to highlight the strengths of the strategic plan and involve important stakeholders in the process. Engaging employees and volunteers will help them to recognize and take ownership of the change. Involving employees also helps to provide more minds to prevent possible problems.

Examples to Consider

Many companies have vision and mission statements that don't serve them well. Still, there are companies with outstanding statements. LinkedIn is a good example :

• Vision:  To create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.
• Mission:  To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. 

Notice how LinkedIn's vision statement refers to "every member of the global workforce." That's a huge goal that won't be accomplished in the near future. Maybe never. But it is inspiring and makes employees want to achieve it.

The mission statement, on the other hand, is achievable. By connecting professionals, they give them the contacts they need to make them more productive and successful.

Now consider the example of Southwest airlines :

• Vision:  To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline.
• Mission:  The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit.  

There's no question Southwest's vision statement is for the future. Many people currently love Southwest, but everyone in the world? Hardly. Will they ever be "most loved, most flown, and most profitable"? That's a lot to ask of any business. But by striving for all three, they're encouraging employees to be at their best

Southwest's mission statement is much more down-to-earth, current and achievable. Their employees have the choice to dedicate themselves to having the highest quality service, to be warm and friendly, proud and filled with company spirit.

• Mind Tools: Mission Statements and Vision Statements
• Inc.: 6 Principles for Communicating a Powerful Change Vision
• Entrepreneur: 4 Techniques for Crafting a Mission Statement Worth Remembering
• ClearVoice: Difference Between Vision and Mission Statements: 25 Examples

Madison Hawthorne holds a bachelor's degree in creative writing, a master's degree in social work and a master's degree in elementary education. She also holds a reading endorsement and two years experience working with ELD students. She has been a writer for more than five years, served as a magazine submission reviewer and secured funding for a federal grant for a nonprofit organization. Hawthorne also swam competitively for 10 years and taught for two years.

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Characteristics of change management, what is the use of a mission statement, what skills should a strategic leader have to achieve ambitions, keys to fundraising success, critical success factors for learning organizations, examples of leaders who motivate in the workplace, objectives of employee welfare, how to address the new year to employees, examples of leading change management, most popular.

• 1 Characteristics of Change Management
• 2 What Is the Use of a Mission Statement?
• 3 What Skills Should a Strategic Leader Have to Achieve Ambitions?
• 4 Keys to Fundraising Success

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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.

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Chapter 2: Leading Strategically

Vision, Mission, and Goals

Learning Objectives

• Define vision and mission and distinguish between them.
• Know what the acronym SMART represents.
• Be able to write a SMART goal.

The Importance of Vision

Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion. —Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric

Many skills and abilities separate effective strategic leaders like Howard Schultz from poor strategic leaders. One of them is the ability to inspire employees to work hard to improve their organization’s performance. Effective strategic leaders are able to convince employees to embrace lofty ambitions and move the organization forward. In contrast, poor strategic leaders struggle to rally their people and channel their collective energy in a positive, focused direction.

As the quote from Jack Welch suggests, a vision  is one key tool available to executives to inspire the people in an organization ( Figure 2.2 “The Big Picture: Organizational Vision” ). An organization’s vision describes what the organization hopes to become in the future. Well-constructed visions clearly articulate an organization’s aspirations. Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful (Edwards, 2012). Google expands on its mission by listing “Ten things we know,” including “Focus on the user and all else will follow,” “It’s best to do one thing really, really well,” and  “Fast is better than slow” (Google Inc., 2014).

This brief but powerful statement emphasizes several aims that are important to Google, including excellence in customer service, and setting high standards for employees and Google’s products. McDonald’s brand mission is “to be our customers’ favourite place and way to eat. Our worldwide operations are aligned around a global strategy called the Plan to Win, which centre on an exceptional customer experience – People, Products, Place, Price and Promotion. We are committed to continuously improving our operations and enhancing our customers’ experience.”  To be effective, this mission statement must filter down to all employees and inspire them to adopt that mission. (Edwards, 2012).

One limitation of such all-encompassing goals is that front line and operational employees will not relate or connect with the goals, and will disengage from the process – flavour of the month…. The CEO/management team who can effectively translate the high-level objectives to on-the-ground activities will have good success in engaging staff! Of course, a strong element of walk-the-talk is required by management as well.

The results of a survey of 1,500 executives illustrate how the need to create an inspiring vision creates a tremendous challenge for executives. When asked to identify the most important characteristics of effective strategic leaders, 98 percent of the executives listed “a strong sense of vision” first. Meanwhile, 90 percent of the executives expressed serious doubts about their own ability to create a vision. Not surprisingly, many organizations do not have formal visions. Many organizations that do have visions find that employees do not embrace and pursue the visions. Having a well-formulated vision that employees embrace can therefore give an organization an edge over its rivals.

Mission Statements

At WestJet, Clive Beddoe and his team developed its mission statement: “To enrich the lives of everyone in WestJet’s world by providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel.” A mission such as WestJet’s states the reasons for an organization’s existence. Well-written mission statements effectively capture an organization’s identity and provide answers to the fundamental question “Who are we?” While a vision looks to the future, a mission captures the key elements of the organization’s past and present.

Organizations need support from their key stakeholders, such as employees, owners, suppliers, and customers, if they are to prosper. A mission statement which engages stakeholders will help develop an understanding of why they should support the organization and  make clear what important role or purpose the organization plays in society – also called a “social license to operate.” Google’s mission, for example, is “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” Google pursued this mission in its early days by developing a very popular Internet search engine. The firm continues to serve its mission through various strategic actions, including offering its Internet browser Google Chrome to the online community, providing free email via its Gmail service, and making books available online for browsing.

In ancient times, Aesop said, “United we stand, divided we fall.” This provides a helpful way of thinking about the relationship between vision and mission. Executives ask for trouble if their organization’s vision and mission are divided by emphasizing different domains. Some universities have fallen into this trap. Many large public universities were established in the late 1800s with missions that centered on educating citizens. As the 20th century unfolded, however, creating scientific knowledge through research became increasingly important to these universities. Many university presidents responded by creating visions centered on building the scientific prestige of their schools. This created a dilemma for professors: Should they devote most of their time and energy to teaching students (as the mission required) or on their research studies (as ambitious presidents demanded via their visions)? Some universities continue to struggle with this trade-off today and remain houses divided against themselves. In sum, an organization is more effective to the extent that its vision and its mission target employees’ effort in the same direction.

Pursuing the Vision and Mission through SMART Goals

An organization’s vision and mission combined offer a broad, overall sense of the organization’s direction. To work toward achieving these overall aspirations, organizations also need to create goals —narrower aims that should provide clear and tangible guidance to employees as they perform their work on a daily basis. The most effective goals are those that are

M easurable,

A chievable,

R ealistic, and

T ime-bound.

An easy way to remember these dimensions is to combine the first letter of each into one word: SMART ( Figure 2.4 “Creating SMART Goals” ). Employees are in a much better  position to succeed to the extent that an organization’s goals are SMART.A goal is specific if it is explicit rather than vague. WestJet’s vision is that “By 2016, WestJet will be one of the five most successful international airlines in the world providing our guests with a friendly caring experience that will change air travel forever.”

A goal is measurable to the extent that whether the goal is achieved can be quantified. WestJet’s goal of being one of the five most successful international airlines in the world by 2016 offers very simple and clear measurability: Either WestJet will be in the top five  by 2016 or they will not.

A goal is aggressive  if achieving it presents a significant (as opposed to easy) challenge to the organization. A series of research studies have demonstrated that performance is strongest when goals are challenging but attainable. Such goals force people to test and extend the limits of their abilities. This can result in reaching surprising heights.

WestJet committed to growing responsibly and ensuring that it is an environmentally sustainable airline, and supports the IATA goal of carbon neutral growth in its industry beyond 2020. WestJet already operates one of the most modern and fuel-efficient fleets in North America.

Achieving carbon neutral growth will be a challenge for WestJet requiring the combined efforts of the airline and its supplier partners such as aircraft manufacturers, airports and government.  In 2012, WestJet reported that “Our significant investments in fleet and technology have greatly improved our aircraft fuel efficiency and ability to operate our business more cost effectively. Between 2000 and 2012, we improved our fuel efficiency by 44.8 per cent per revenue tonne kilometre. The resulting fuel savings are equivalent to the amount of fuel that would have been used to fly a Boeing Next-Generation 737 from Calgary to Toronto and back approximately 44,135 times (based on our 2012 fuel usage).” (Quigley, 1994)

It is useful to know that  easily achievable goals are not only easy, but they tend to undermine overall motivation and effort by employees, Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Consider a situation in which you have done so well in a course that you only need a score of 60 percent on the final exam to earn an A for the course. Understandably, few students would study hard enough to score 90 percent or 100 percent on the final exam under these circumstances Similarly, setting organizational goals that are easy to reach encourages employees to work just hard enough to reach the goals.

It is tempting to extend this logic and thinking to conclude that setting nearly impossible goals will encourage even stronger effort and performance from staff. However, people act rationally and tend to become  discouraged and give up  when faced with goals that realistically have little chance of being reached. If, for example, Starbucks had set a time frame of one year to regain a share price of $35, it would have attracted scorn. The company simply could not be turned around that quickly. Similarly, if WestJet’s fuel efficiency goal was 100 percent improvement, WestJet’s employees would probably not embrace it. Thus goals must also be realistic, meaning that their achievement is feasible.

Most of us have  found that deadlines are motivating and that they help you structure your work time. The same is true for organizations, leading to the conclusion that goals should be time-bound through the creation of deadlines. WestJet has set a goal to achieve a cumulative 45 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency for our 737 fleet by 2020, as compared to the 2000 base year. (WestJet, 2012)

The period after an important goal is reached is often overlooked but is critical. Will an organization rest on its laurels or will it take on new challenges? Starbucks provides an illustrative example.  In 2011, after a revamp of the company’s stores and services, the stock price was around $35. In early 2014, the price was in the $70 range.

Key Takeaway

Strategic leaders need to ensure that their organizations have three types of aims. A vision states what the organization aspires to become in the future. A mission reflects the organization’s past and present by stating why the organization exists and what role it plays in society. Goals are the more specific aims that organizations pursue to reach their visions and missions. The best goals are SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

• Take a look at the website of your college or university. What is the organization’s vision and mission? Were they easy or hard to find?
• As a member of the student body, do you find the vision and mission of your college or university to be motivating and inspirational? Why or why not?
• What is an important goal that you have established for your career? Could this goal be improved by applying the SMART goal concept?

Edwards, A. (2012). Mission Statements–World’s Top 10 Brands . Retrieved from http://communicatingasiapacific.com/2012/06/15/mission-statements-worlds-top-10-brands/

Google Inc. (2014). Ten things we know to be true .  Retrieved from https://www.google.com.sg/about/company/philosophy/

Quigley, J. V. (1994). Vision: How leaders develop it, share it, and sustain it. Business Horizons , 37 (5), 37–41.

WestJet Airlines Ltd. (2012). WestJet 2012 Global Reporting Initiative report [PDF] . Retrieved from https://www.westjet.com/pdf/global-reporting.pdf

Image descriptions

Figure 2.2 image description: The Big Picture: Organizational Vision.

An organization’s vision describes what the organization hopes to become in the future. Visions highlight the values and aspirations that lay at the heart of the organization. Although vision statements have the potential to inspire employees, customers, and other stakeholders, vision statements are relatively rare and good visions are even rarer. Some of the visions being pursued by businesses today are offered below.

• Alcoa – to be the best company in the world – in the eyes of our customers, shareholders, communities and people.
• Avon – to be the company that best understands and satisfies the product service and self-fulfillment needs of women – globally.
• Chevron – to be the global energy company most admired for its people, partnership and performance.
• Google – to develop a perfect search engine.
• Kraft Foods – helping people around the world eat and live better.
• Proctor and Gamble – be, and be recognized as, the best consumer products and services company in the world.

[Return to Figure 2.2 ]

Figure 2.3 image description: Missions.

While a vision describes what an organization desires to become in the future, an organization’s mission is grounded in the past and present. A mission outlines the reasons for the organization’s existence and explains what role it plays in society. A well-written mission statement captures the organization’s identity and helps to answer the fundamental question of “who are we?” As a practical matter, a mission statement explains to key stakeholders why they should support the organization. The following examples illustrate the connections between organizations and the needs of their key stakeholders.

• Harley Davidson: we fulfill dreams through the experience of motorcycling, by providing to motorcyclists and to the general public an expanding line of motorcycles and branded products and services in selected market segments.
• Westjet: to enrich the lives of everyone in Westjet’s world nu providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel.
• Starbucks: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time. It has always been, and will always be, about equality.
• Mountain Equipment Co-op: we help people enjoy the benefits of self-propelled wilderness-oriented recreation.
• Fender Musical Instrument: to exceed the expectations of music enthusiasts worldwide.

[Return to Figure 2.3]

Figure 2.4 image description: Creating SMART Goals.

While missions and visions provide an overall sense of the organization’s direction, goals are narrower aims that should provide clear and tangible guidance to employees. The most effective goals are those that are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound). SMART goals help provide clarity, transparency, and accountability. Westjet’s goal is “to enrich the lives of everyone in Westjet’s world by providing safe, friendly and affordable air travel. By 2016, we strive to be one of the top five airlines in the world as measured through key metrics such as on time performance, safety, profitability and guest satisfaction.

Westjet’s goals fit the SMART acronym.

• Specific: Westjet strives to be among the top five international airlines. In contrast, “the best” would be vague, making it difficult to decide if a goal is actually reached.
• Measurable: Westjet identifies the key metrics: on-time performance, safety, profitability and guest satisfaction. Westjet is able to measure its progress relative to its targets.
• Achievable: Westjet lists achievements to date in working towards the goals. A series of research studies show that performance is strongest when goals are challenging but attainable.
• Realistic: Westjet states support for the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) goals of a cumulative global average improvement in fuel efficiency of 1.5 per cent per year through to 2020. Reaching a goal must be feasible for employees to embrace it.
• Time-bound: Westjet’s timeline is “By 2016.” Deadlines are motivating and they create accountability.

[Return to Figure 2.4]

Media Attributions

• Figure 2.1: Attribution information for all included images is in the chapter conclusion.
• Figure 2.2: Attribution information for all included images is in the chapter conclusion.
• Figure 2.3: Attribution information for all included images is in the chapter conclusion.

What the organization hopes to become in the future.

Narrower aims that organizations pursue to serve their visions and missions.

Mastering Strategic Management - 1st Canadian Edition Copyright © 2014 by Janice Edwards is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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• Table of Contents
• Troubleshooting Guide
• A Model for Getting Started
• Justice Action Toolkit
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• Facilitation of Community Processes
• Community Health Assessment and Planning
• Section 1. An Overview of Strategic Planning or "VMOSA" (Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plans)

Chapter 8 Sections

• Section 2. Proclaiming Your Dream: Developing Vision and Mission Statements
• Section 3. Creating Objectives
• Section 4. Developing Successful Strategies
• Section 5. Developing an Action Plan
• Section 6. Obtaining Feedback from Constituents: What Changes are Important and Feasible?
• Section 7. Identifying Action Steps in Bringing About Community and System Change
• Main Section

Tool 1: Defining Your Vision, Mission, Objectives, Strategies, and Action Plan

What is the purpose of your organization? How will you achieve it? The VMOSA process helps your initiative develop a blueprint for moving from dreams to actions to positive outcomes for your community. VMOSA gives both direction and structure to your initiative.

Your group's vision is your dream, a picture of the ideal conditions for your community. As a unifying statement for your effort, it also reminds you what you are striving to reach and guides important decisions.

A vision statement should be a few short phrases or a sentence that conveys your hopes for the future. Catchy phrases such as "Healthy teens," "Safe streets, safe neighborhoods" and "Education for all" illustrate the common characteristics of a vision statement. Craft a statement that is:

• Understood and shared by members of the community
• Broad enough to include a diverse variety of perspectives
• Inspiring and uplifting
• Easy to communicate (fits on a T-shirt!)

Your mission statement is more specific than your vision. As the next step in the action planning process, it expresses the "what and how" of your effort, describing what your group is going to do to make your vision a reality. An example of a mission statement: "Our mission is to develop a safe and healthy neighborhood through collaborative planning, community action, and policy advocacy."

While your vision statement inspires people to dream, your mission statement should inspire them to action. Make it concise, outcome-oriented, and inclusive.

Objectives are the specific, measurable steps that will help you achieve your mission. Develop objectives that are SMART+C: specific, measurable, achievable (eventually), relevant to your mission, and timed (with a date for completion.) An example of an objective would be: "By the year (x), 90 percent of the area's drug houses will be eliminated from our target area."

The +C reminds you to adds another important quality to your goals: make them challenging. Stretch your group to make improvements that are significant to members of the community.

Strategies explain how your group will reach its objectives. Broad approaches for making change include advocacy, coalition building, community development, education, networking and policy or legislative change. For example, a child health program could choose a broad strategy of social marketing to promote adult involvement with children.

Specific strategies guide an intervention in more detail. To promote the health of children, you might also enhance people's skills (offer training in conflict management), modify opportunities (offer scholarships), or change the consequences of efforts (provide incentives for community members to volunteer as youth mentors).

Action Plan

Your action plan specifies in detail who will do what, by when, to make what changes happen. It may also note the resources needed, potential barriers or resistance, and collaborators or communication lines that need to be active.

An action plan guides you to your dream through "do-able" steps. You can rely on this plan to know what actions you should take day by day.

Tool 2: Action Planning Guides from the KU Center for Community Health and Development

Community and Public Health Action Planning Guides

• Reducing Risk for Chronic Disease
• Promoting Health for All: Improving Access and Eliminating Disparities in Community Health
• Promoting Healthy Living and Preventing Chronic Disease
• Your Action Planning Guide for Promoting Full Community Participation Among People with Disabilities

Child and Youth Health and Development Action Planning Guides

• Preventing Adolescent Substance Abuse
• Preventing Adolescent Pregnancy
• Preventing Youth Violence
• Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
• Youth Development
• Promoting Child Well-Being

Community Development and Capacity Building Action Planning Guides

• Promoting Urban Neighborhood Development: Improving Housing, Jobs, Education, Safety and Health, and Human Development
• Work Group Evaluation Handbook
• Concerns Report Handbook: Planning for Community Health

An Example Outline Using Two Half-Day Working Sessions

Action planning workshop outline: two half-day working sessions.

Overall Process: An effective action planning session allows a diverse group of participants to:

• Clarify common purpose - Through listening, gathering and reviewing data, and building a shared vision and mission.
• Generate and critique options - Through consideration of risk and protective factors, broad and specific strategies, and the community's framework for action, it identifies particular changes in communities and systems (i.e., new or modified programs, policies, and practices) to be sought to achieve the mission.
• Obtain consensus about community and systems changes to be sought - Through ballot voting about the importance and feasibility of proposed changes, or by having participants use "dots" to register preferences for changes to be sought.
• Decide how to proceed as a group - Through open discussion, the group identifies action steps (i.e., who will do what by when) to bring about the identified changes.

Background Work Before the Session/Workshop:

• Those developing the workshop should review the VMOSA process
• Hold listening sessions with a variety of people including those most affected
• Document the issues or problems, including data on the challenges of the issue your organization is facing

Session/Day One (1/2 Day)

8:30: Continental Breakfast 9:00: Welcome and Introductions 9:20: Overview of the Action Planning Process 9:30: VMOSA: What is VMOSA ( V ision, M ission, O bjectives, S trategies, A ction Plans)? 9:45: Vision: Promoting Neighborhood Development (Creating your own community's vision) 10:15: Mission: What are we trying to accomplish and why? (Stating your mission). 10:45: Objectives: How much of what will we accomplish by when? (Creating your objectives). 11:15: Strategies: How will we get there? (Identifying a set of broad and specific strategies). 12:15: Questions/ Wrap Up:Group Summarizes Accomplishments of Session/Day One 12:30: Adjourn

Product of Session/Day One:

A new (or renewed) statement of the group's Vision, Mission, Objectives, and Strategies. (These may require review or approval by a broader group.)

Homework Before Session/Day Two:

Review the "Inventory of Potential Community and Systems Changes for Promoting Neighborhood Development." Bring recommended changes to be sought: a) by specific strategy (i.e., providing information and enhancing skills, modifying access, barriers, and opportunities, enhancing services and support, changing consequences, and modifying policies) and b) by community sector (e.g., Community Organizations, Faith Communities, Government).

Day/Session Two (1/2 Day)

9:00: Review of Session/Day One and Overview of Session/Day Two 9:15: Identifying Targets and Agents of Changes: Who should benefit? Who can contribute? 9:30: Identifying Community and Systems Changes: By Strategy (work in small groups of 6-8 organized by strategy) 10:15: Small Group Reports 10:45: Identifying Community and Systems Changes: By Sector (work in small groups of 6-8 organized by sector) 11:15: Small Group Reports 11:45: Building consensus on community and systems changes to be sought (e.g., using dots, voting) 12:15: Next Steps:

• Building Consensus/Seeking Approval from the larger group (if appropriate)
• Identifying Action Steps for each change to be sought (who will do what by when)
• Plan for Documenting Progress and Promoting Celebration and Renewal

12:45: Questions/ Wrap Up - Group Summarizes Accomplishments of Session/Day Two 1:00: Adjourn

Product of Session/Day Two:

A set of community and systems changes (i.e., new or modified programs, policies and practices to be sought in each relevant sector of the community (e.g., Community Organizations, Faith Communities, Government).

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Office of Research and Development Strategic Plan

EPA’s Office of Research and Development (ORD) released Strategic Plan guides its mission and ensures that the Agency and our partners have the scientific knowledge, data, and tools needed to protect people and the planet from the most complex and challenging environmental issues of our time.

• ORD Mission
• EPA Foundational Principles
• ORD Principles
• ORD Strategic Goals

ORD Mission 

Providing the best available environmental science and technology to inform and support human health and environmental decision making for federal, state, Tribal, local, and community partners, addressing critical environmental challenges and anticipating future needs through leading-edge research.

Leading the world in environmental science, technology, and research, developing breakthrough solutions that enable EPA, federal agencies, states, Tribes, and communities to protect human health and the environment.

EPA Foundational Principles 

E PA’s foundational principles form the basis of the Agency’s culture and guide its operations and decision making now and into the future. They are:

• Follow the Science
• Follow the Law
• Be Transparent
• Advance Justice & Equity

ORD Principles 

In conducting the critical research that informs and enables the safeguarding of our nation’s health and environment, ORD staff are guided by the following principles:

• We are environmental stewards. I take action to care for and ensure a healthy and thriving environment now and in the future.
• We are an organization of scientific excellence that informs environmental decisions. I diligently use all my talents to contribute significantly to our goals and to fulfilling our mission.
• We actively seek out partnerships that advance the quality, relevance, and impact of ORD’s solutions-driven research. I actively look beyond my own areas of expertise to see how my contributions combine with those of others to fulfill ORD’s mission.
• We exhibit leadership and ownership. I am responsible for developing and exhibiting my leadership.
• We trust each other and are worthy of each other’s trust. I am mindful of others’ trust in me, and I always behave with integrity.
• We communicate honestly, openly, and clearly. I seek the information I need and provide the information that others need in support of a culture of open communication.
• We enable decisions at the most local level possible. I am responsible for actively seeking opportunities to engage others in decision making.
• We value the talents, skills, and experiences of our diverse workforce. I seek to understand, appreciate, and engage others’ unique talents, perspectives, and contributions.
• We are accountable to others for our actions. Forever mindful that our work serves a public trust, I am dedicated to fulfilling our commitments and making the most of our resources.
• We recognize and celebrate our accomplishments. I always recognize and celebrate others for a job well done.

ORD Strategic Goals 

ORD has identified four overarching goals to guide its work. The goals are:

• Goal 1: Advance Science and Technology Improve protection of human health and the environment through scientific advancements, innovative research, and technology development using systems-level approaches.  
• Goal 2: Support Decision Making Deliver the scientific and technical information our partners need to inform their decisions to protect human health and the environment.  
• Goal 3: Build a Healthy Workforce and Organization Strengthen and sustain a workforce and organization that have the skills and expertise necessary to anticipate and respond to current and future challenges to human health and the environment and that value inclusivity.
• Goal 4:  Be a Trusted Scientific Source Serve as a trusted source of scientific information for the Agency, the nation, and the world.  

Learn More about ORD's Goals and Objectives

ORD has articulated clear and achievable objectives to guide, measure, and meet the four goals outlined above. Learn more about ORD's Goals and Objectives .

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