The difference between vision, mission, and values (and why you need them)
Note: This post was originally published in March 2018 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
One of the hardest things to do as a creative entrepreneur is to decide which priorities will best achieve your goals and grow your business.
If you’re just starting out, everything feels new and overwhelming. How do you decide which strategy will actually generate results for your business?
And if you’re growing and scaling your business, you’ve got a whole new slate of decisions to make — whether that’s expanding your products and services (or creating new ones!), growing your team, taking on marketing and outreach projects that finally feel within reach, or something else entirely.
Over and over again, you’ll need to decide: Which direction should you go? What should you prioritize? Which options are the best investment for your business and to serve your audience?
Today I want to talk about three tools essential to helping you make the right strategic choices for your business. These tools keep your eyes on the prize: the reason you started your business, what you’re really trying to accomplish, and what is most important to you.
They’re your vision, your mission, and your values. In this post, we’ll go through each one: what it is, why you need it for your business, and a few pointers for creating your own.
Vision: Where do you want (the world) to go?
Your vision is the highest-level statement of purpose and direction for your business. It’s your “North Star” — a guiding light for orientation and navigation.
Your vision should be big picture and aspirational — much broader than you or your company! It’s a statement about how you want your world, industry, or customers’ lives to look. It’s focused on your beliefs about how things should be and your contribution to making the world better.
A good vision statement keeps your business strategy focused on the overall impact that you want to have. It’s exciting and empowering. It inspires and challenges you and your team to think creatively, innovate, and keep pursuing that dream.
Questions to ask yourself as you consider your business’ vision are:
What do we aspire to as a business?
What do we want for our customers?
What do we want for their communities?
What change do we want to see/make?
What does a successful outcome of that change look like?
Mission: How are you making that vision a reality?
Your mission statement looks at the “tomorrow” of your vision statement and says, “here’s how we’ll get there today.”
Your mission is practical, focused on what your organization does, who you serve, and how you are taking steps to make your vision a reality.
This should be the strategic centre of your business. It states how you serve your ideal audience and your core business focus, acting as the origin point for all the goals, strategies and tactics you implement in your day-to-day operations. If you have a team, it keeps everyone pulling in the same direction, providing focus, unity, and a common purpose.
Questions you should be asking yourself as you consider your business’ mission statement:
What kind of work do we commit to doing in service of our vision?
What problems will we solve for our customers to create the outcome we seek?
What solutions will we offer?
How will we act as a company?
What is the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?
It can be easy to blur the lines between your vision and mission statements. But done right, they should work together to illustrate what you are all about, what you aspire to and how you work to get there.
To help illustrate how vision and mission statements are different but work together, take a look at some good examples from other brands. In each case, the vision is broader than the company itself — it’s a statement about the kind of world they want to live in. The mission shows how they work to advance that vision within their own business.
Alzheimer’s Association
Vision: A world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia
Mission: The Alzheimer’s Association leads the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia — by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support.
IKEA
Vision: To create a better everyday life for the many people.
Mission: Offer 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.
Warby Parker
Vision: We believe that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket.
Mission: To inspire and impact the world with vision, purpose, and style.
Values: What do you believe in?
Your business’ values are all about your guiding principles, philosophy or beliefs. They identify what matters to you as an organization — what you stand for and how you operate.
Where your vision and mission are focused on direction, your values are focused on what you believe to be important or true as you move forward on a daily basis. They explain why you do the things you do, in the way you do them.
This has a powerful impact on your brand. Values connect your vision and mission to your day-to-day culture and code, helping you find customers and employees who are the right fit for who you are. They shape your brand’s message, how you serve and interact with customers, and the brand experience you create for them.
Your values should infuse every aspect of your brand and business, setting you apart and creating an environment where your business and community thrive.
Questions to help you identify your business’ values:
What do you want to be known for?
What makes you proud of your brand’s work and impact?
What principles or beliefs are essential to successfully achieving your mission?
What principles or beliefs do you share with your ideal customer?
What about your ideal customer makes them a good fit for you?
To sum it all up…
Your vision statement, mission statement, and values make up the beating heart of your brand and set the direction for your business goals and objectives, brand message, and culture.
Your vision is your North Star, capturing the impact you want to have on the world and why that matters. It’s big-picture and aspirational.
Your mission is the roadmap for how you work to make that vision a reality. It’s still big-picture, but it’s practical and implementable too.
Your values are an expression of your beliefs and guiding principles. They set the tone for your culture, message, and brand experience.
Next steps
Defining your brand’s vision, mission and values is the first step in developing a complete brand strategy. You can get started by brainstorming your answers to the questions I’ve provided in this post. Aim to end up with one sentence each for your vision and mission statement. For your values, aim for four to six in total, then write 1–2 sentences to go with each value outlining what it means for the brand.
Still feeling overwhelmed or want some help? Clarifying this part of your brand can be incredibly challenging because it’s so personal and tough to pin down into words. Sometimes getting an outside perspective and support can make all the difference! My Elevated Brand Blueprint walks you through clarifying your vision and translating it into an authentic, actionable message and strategy that will help you grow your business faster and with more focus. Send me a note today to get started!
