There seems to be disagreement about the differences between vision,
purpose, mission and values. Here is one approach:
Vision is
something outside of you - it is the overview of what you see as possible
or probable for others and/or yourself in life. Purpose is the "why" you
are here and provides the direction. Mission is the road or path; it is
what you are focused on doing, how you are going to get “there”. Values
are what are most important to you about life.
Only then do
goals and strategy - specific action steps and tasks to realize your
vision and purpose - come into play.
Using these as signposts for success - both in personal and work life -
can be extremely effective. Lots of research has now been done and there
are some excellent books on the subject. But, when done badly, the results
are dire.
For vision
statements are "excellent" for dysfunctional management. Give them the
challenge of writing a vision statement and it should keep them happily
occupied for months, and out of harm's way. The end product will use up
some space in the annual report, and otherwise be quite harmless.
Vision
statements can be created through the original vision machine. All you
need to do is put the following statements into a random number generator,
and then assemble the vision statement in the order the numbers come up.
Here are the statements you need:
1. We will be
the best at what we do.
2. We will be
the market leader in all the markets we serve.
3. People are
our most important asset.
4. Our
business is built on respect for the individual.
5. We aim to
exceed the expectation of all the constituencies we serve: our customers,
shareholders, employees and their families, government and the local
community.
6. We will
never compromise our ethical standards.
7. Diversity
is where it's at, man.
8. We care
passionately about caring passionately.
9. We care
particularly passionately for the environment.
10. We seek
to make above average returns for our shareholders over time.
11. We will
all live happily ever after.
Note that
this is a non-discriminatory vision statement. You can use it for any
industry in any country, in any order. Should your dysfunctional managers
produce the vision statement too fast, confuse them by asking them to
produce a values statement to go alongside the vision statement. There
will ten be long discussion about vision versus values and what values
really are, and is it culturally biased to have the same values across the
world. Don’t worry. The same statements used in the original vision
machine can also be used for the value statement.
Vision and
values are not about crafting elegant statements for the annual report.
They are about guiding the daily business and behavior of the business.
They are about what people do, not say. It is about the walk, not the
talk.
