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Is it mission, or is it vision?
Over the years I’ve seen well-intentioned people cause strategic planning sessions to grind to a halt over personal definitions of “mission” and “vision.” Somehow the words and concepts have become jumbled, and the result is that way too much time is wasted on terminology rather than on moving the process forward.
I generally find agreement in any group that mission statements should say in as few words as possible what your organization does and for whom: “Our mission is to house and feed the homeless and move them down the path to self-sufficiency.” Some would say that the mission statement tells people why you exist. There also seems to be general agreement that when it comes to mission statements that shorter is better. Today’s wisdom suggests that the mission should be able to comfortably fit on the back of your business card.
The vision statement seems more fraught with varying interpretations. I tell my clients to think of the vision statement as a “word painting” of your desired future. As such, you may need several sentences, or even 2 or 3 paragraphs to paint your picture. While some will argue that a vision statement should be only a sentence in length, the goal here is for anyone reading it to be able to envision your future. Unlike the brief mission statement, I’m comfortable with a longer vision statement because I see it as a great tool for speeches, fund raising letters, the orientation of new board members or for any moment where you want to talk about where you want to head and why you need people to join you in your journey.
Call them what you want, but have a short statement that tells why you exist and what you exist to do. Have another statement that helps people appreciate where you are heading and just how exciting the future could be if they would only join you. Together those statements can help provide some essential direction to any organization.