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“To entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”
Disney’s vision statement is one of the most inspiring things you’ll read today. Not only does it reflect what the brand stands for but it also explains how they plan to achieve their goals.
Through the power of storytelling, Disney has successfully entertained, informed and inspired people for years and continues to do so. Their vision statement is a testament to their values, ethics and beliefs. It’s reflective of their purpose and goals.
Creating a sound vision statement first requires clarity of purpose. You need to ask yourself where you’re headed with your ideas and goals. The journey is key when it comes to your vision.
Let’s answer “what is a vision statement?” and how to write a clear company vision statement.
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What Is A Vision Statement?
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Why Do Businesses Need A Company Vision Statement?
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How To Craft A Compelling Vision Statement
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Your Purpose And Your Vision
What Is A Vision Statement?
If you’re thinking about time-bound business goals and objectives and a roadmap to get there, you’re describing a vision statement. The meaning of a vision statement is a few sentences or a page describing an organization’s goals, objectives and plans to achieve them. Every business is aspirational. You may want to list your business on the stock exchange, raise investment or hire more people to build a robust workforce. These goals are strategically laid out in your vision statement.
The meaning of a vision statement will be much clearer with the following examples:
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McDonald’s:
“To be the best quick service restaurant experience. Being the best means providing outstanding quality, service, cleanliness and value, so that we make every customer in every restaurant smile.”
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Microsoft:
“To create a local opportunity, growth and impact in every community and country around the world.”
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Amazon:
“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
Successful businesses are led by visionary leaders who not only make informed decisions in the present but also look to the future. Establishing your business means to identify where you want to take it. A vision statement helps you measure your progress as you work toward clearly defined goals and objectives. This way, if you ever steer from your path, you know you can come right back. But why do you need a company vision statement? Let’s find out.
Why Do Businesses Need A Company Vision Statement?
Every business starts with an idea and a desire to accomplish something. It may be to offer products or services, help the local community, create employment opportunities, bring a novel idea to the world or become successful.
But as we go about our day-to-day activities, get caught up in the daily grind and start focusing on the tiniest details, we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture. A vision statement acts as a reminder of what you set out to do. You can revisit your vision statement from time to time to alter, modify or update it based on your goals. It’s not set in stone.
Here are some reasons to explain why you need a company vision statement:
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Motivate And Inspire Employees
Your vision statement can motivate your employees to work hard, perform well and achieve optimal results. If they believe in the organization’s vision, they’ll make more of an effort to collaborate, solve problems and brainstorm. When you’re working toward a shared goal, it’s important to get everyone on the same page. Vision statements will help you do just that. Whether you want to write down the definition of a vision statement in a few lines or a few pages is up to you. But it should cater to the needs of your employees, customers or clients.
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Set Goals And Objectives
For any business, the most important thing is to set goals and objectives right in the beginning. It’s these very goals that help in the establishment of an organization. If you don’t know why you started a business, you’ll find it hard to make even the most basic decisions. Goal setting is key to your success and you can use your vision statement to clarify where it is you want to go. Design your journey based on statistical data, strategic planning and inputs from others involved. This will help you create a vision that’s long-term, sustainable and effective.
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Create A Shared Vision
If you want to grow your business, you’ll need to collaborate with others. It could be on a freelance basis or as a business owner with employees. A shared vision helps streamline processes and structures your goals. You can discuss these goals with your team, internal or external, to build shared goals that you can achieve together. If everyone has to contribute, they should be part of the process as well. Not only does this boost morale but also encourages a healthy work environment. You can revisit your vision to change things around based on any internal or external changes.
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Satisfy External Stakeholders
A business needs external support just as much as it needs internal support. If you’re reaching out to investors, you may have to write a vision statement to assure them your business has value as an entity. Before they make an investment decision, they’ll check whether you know what you’re doing. They want to see concrete plans for the future, how you plan to generate revenue, your financing, goals and more.
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Attract Top Talent
Another great benefit of having vision statements is to attract top talent. Today, many employees look to organizations with a compelling, meaningful and inclusive vision. It’s not only the job description or pay that attracts them. They want to work for a place that’s aware of prevalent issues and wants to do something to change or improve them. If you can craft a vision statement that captures your intent, motivation and inspiration, you’ll be able to attract top talent and build cohesive teams.
These reasons for crafting vision statements are convincing enough but if you need more motivation, think about it like an itinerary you might make for a trip. Even if you want to wing it, you still have to decide the destination. You may have a vision for where you see yourself five years down the line. A big house, big car and a community spirit may be some of the things you foresee for yourself. All this is what drives you to make an effort today, work hard and achieve your goals. A vision statement is like a cheerleader that reminds you of your destination and ways to get there.
How To Craft A Compelling Vision Statement
To write a compelling vision statement, first ask yourself “what is a vision statement?”. It’s important to answer this question for yourself because everyone has different and unique goals. Once you find the answers to this, you can start thinking of what you hope to one day achieve.
Here are some things to keep in mind while putting your vision on paper:
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Identify your values and beliefs to set the tone for your vision statement so you can build something that means more than just words. You should be fully aware of what you’re doing, or your mission, and why you’re doing it, or your purpose. Not every organization writes a vision statement, but doing so will push you harder to achieve your goals.
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Write clearly, compellingly and selectively. Don’t just put fancy words into a paragraph and call it a day. Think about what you want to convey. Articulate your ideas and your goals for the future. Proofread and edit as many times to make sure your writing is error-free.
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Seek inputs from friends, family and employees—if you’re a business owner—or mentors. This way, you’ll know for sure you’re on the right track. You can end up on a completely unrelated tangent if you’re not focusing on people who are involved in the process.
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Try not to make it too specific because that may end up restricting your actions. You can always modify your vision statement but only if there’s room for modification. Be specific enough that everyone clearly understands your key ideas, values and goals.
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Remember to be supportive of other ideas because ultimately the meaning of a vision statement is to create an inspired vision for yourself and others.
Focus on what you truly want to accomplish, why you want to do this and where you want to be. You can write your vision statement with ease if you’re aware of these three elements.
Your Purpose And Your Vision
Thinking of your purpose in life, in the grand scheme of things, is not something many of us do. You may have three or five-year plans but your purpose is slightly different. It’s the reason you do what you do. That thing that motivates you to keep going, work hard and learn. Your purpose can help you identify your vision. If you know the ‘why’, you can reach the ‘where’.
Harappa’s Discovering Purpose course will teach you how to arrive at your purpose. With concepts like finding your Ikigai and Elements of Purpose, you’ll find answers to pressing questions. Find the motivation to work toward your goals, improve productivity and understand your needs with our detailed self-improvement and life purpose course.
Explore Harappa Diaries to learn more about topics such as Mission Statement, Goal-Setting, Purpose Of Life & How to Believe In Yourself that will help you achieve the highest levels of performance.
