While having specific goals and objectives is widely considered a roadmap for a company to follow, having a vision statement accelerates the procedure. Every company specifies the goals that they want to reach or achieve. These objectives might be short-term as well as long-term. To keep the motivation and zest alive during the process of achieving these objectives, we need a vision. A vision is not only a company’s idealistic lookout but also the emotional response or inspiration that a company needs to attain its goals, plan realistically and reach the highest potential. Let us know How To Write A Vision Statement?
Furthermore, a vision statement is a statement provided by an organization or company to set a standard and the ultimate mission of their organization or company. It also demonstrates a company’s core values and principles that a company abides by. The core values act as a foundation on which a company’s growth relies by providing a sense of what is right and what is wrong. Also, a vision statement serves a myriad range of benefits. Some of these benefits to write vision statement are written below as follows:
- A vision statement serves as a direction upon which an organization must route towards.
- A vision statement enables a company to create and plan the future that they want to achieve.
- A vision statement aids in making better decisions based on one’s vigorous and beneficent values.
- A vision statement helps a company to set priorities, stay focused and take action.
- A vision statement helps the company as well as its employees to move in a direction that they consider idealistic and good.
- A vision statement acts as a motivational and guiding force for the company and its employees.
How to Write an Effective Vision Statement?
There are numerous ways through which a company can produce or write its vision statement. A vision statement should not be only compelling but also inspiring and full of zest. A vision statement is telling of a company’s values, hopes, and foresight. However, creating a perfect vision statement might seem confounding and overwhelming but it is undeniably lucid if one follows proper guidance to follow through with it. Ways to write an effective statement are elucidated below as follows:
- Start with creating proper notes
- Check out the company’s biggest goals
- Align it with the company’s core values and heart principles
- Create a sub-goals list
- Keep it concise, simple and error-free
- Avoid jargon
- Make sure it covers the long-term goal
- Always use the present tense
- Make it directional
- Brainstorm ideas
- Get feedback and suggestions
- Keep the goals realistic and attainable
- Make it inspiring
- Take the help of a worksheet or template
Start with Creating Proper Notes
If you’re clueless and have no idea where to begin, grab a notepad and begin making notes. Notes help an individual organize and record the data in a structured way. Put in what’s available to you on a paper by asking yourself some generic questions about the company’s purposes, achievements, core values, principles, etc. Note-making boosts a person’s ability to understand more about the vision by incorporating all ideas and concepts in one place.
Make different categories and headings. For example, make a separate column for core values, a different one for plans/goals, etc. Also, try to convert your main ideas into questions first. Answering these questions can help you move nearer to your step of creating a perfect vision statement.
Check out Company’s biggest goal/goals
The first and the most important question to ask yourself while creating a vision statement: What are the company’s biggest and ultimate goal/goals? Research, identify the organization’s ultimate goal, write it down and along with these, answer the following questions:
What is your company’s service?
What is the company’s current mission?
What is the company’s ultimate mission?
What initiatives are taken by your company to attain its goals?
What are your company’s short-term and long-term plans?
What tools can help you attain your company’s ultimate goal?
What qualities does your company possess that can make it achieve those goals?
Brainstorm Ideas
Brainstorming is a technique where one generates ideas by thinking hard. Give yourself some time to brainstorm ideas to come up with great ideas. Make a list of all the ideas whilst including the company’s purpose, values, principles, and objectives. Brainstorming helps to strengthen ideas, buttresses problem-solving skills, provides a wide spectrum of perspectives and helps foster different aspects of a vision statement.
Align it with Company’s Core Values and Heart Principle
On a piece of paper, pen down your organization’s core principles. These principles are generally mentioned in the company’s guidebook. By accessing the company’s data to find the company’s resolutions, aims, core values, and strategic planning, one can get some understanding regarding their vision. For example, if your company’s heart principle is honesty, make sure that your company’s vision statement reflects honesty and veracity. Write down the keywords for all the values your company relies on. Then, analyze if your statement resonates with those keywords or not. Aligning the values and principle with the vision statement enhance efficacy and promotes rapid growth.
Create a sub-goals list
When writing down the ultimate goal of a company, one must plan in time for each specific sub-goals. Write down a 5-year plan, 10-year plan, 1-year plan, 90 days plan, 30 days plan, and weekly plan as well. Making sub-goals helps an individual specify each step and lays out a plan to move forward in the right direction. It also helps an individual allocate tasks and activities for every day. Moving through everyday progress allows an individual to achieve their long-term goals by achieving all the short-term goals. Dividing goals into sub-goals enhance productivity and improvement.
Keep it concise, simple and error-free
The vision statement must be brief and simple. Make sure you proofread it to avoid mistakes. A complicated statement might confound or confuse an individual. Nobody wants their brand to confuse its customers. If your vision statement is lengthy and bewildering, it might hinder the business’s progress. A complicated statement might leave space for mistakes and unproductivity. A statement with grammatical mistakes not only depicts carelessness but also a paucity of passion and grind. Keep the vision statement formal and precise.
Avoid jargon
A particular type of language is considered good when used within a specific group of people. Using jargon can be confusing for a wider range of audience and can cause chaos. Jargon can make your vision statement complicated, opaque, and perplexing. A misunderstood statement is only bound to cause mismanagement and a blurred vision plan. Hence, an individual should try to avoid using jargon as it has the possibility of hindering performance.
Make sure it covers the long-term goal
A vision statement is a reflection of a company’s ideals. The vision statement should be concise and include the long-term goal. Indulging the vision statement with a long-term goal helps every employee to work collectively to attain the goal. A vision statement inclusive of its long-term goals serves as a constant reminder for working hard towards the long-term goal. If the vision statement does not include a long-term goal, it might not be inspiring enough and directionless.
Always use the present tense
Writing the vision statement in the present tense is considered appropriate. It helps employees regulate their performance. Reading a statement in the present tense helps one feel motivated and inspired enough. Reading in the present tense helps instill zest and a feeling of reaching goals with a vigorous grind. It helps the vision statement align with success plans.
Make it directional
A vision statement should be able to help employees to make smart decisions. Craft your vision statement in a future-oriented way. Keeping the vision statement aimed at the future provides a big-picture for the company and its employees. Providing a direction to the vision statement makes it ambitious, inspiring, and well-structured. Moreover, a specific direction helps employees to take specific actions and plan logically.
Get feedback and suggestions
Once you are done with your vision statement, get it checked by your co-workers, family, or friends. Ask them for their sincere feedback. Take notes and work on the negatives. Make necessary adjustments as per the reviews. Make a list of all the recommendations given and act upon the reasonable ones. Feedback is a way of improving the customer’s experience and employees’ performance.
Keep the goals realistic and attainable
A vision statement is usually framed by fore sighting an idealistic future of the company. Although it is essential to have an idealistic vision but the idealistic vision should be achievable and feasible. Unattainable goals may dishearten employees’ spirit. Creating healthy realistic goals enables one to keep moving forward and work assiduously to achieve the higher good for the organization. When these goals are attained, an individual feels accomplished and motivated. Thus, goals and vision should be attainable.
Make it inspiring
Make sure to make your vision statement inspiring. A vision statement that infuses inspiration benefits the employees to build confidence, bolster productivity, increase engagement of employees and create ideas. Inspiration is not only vital to feel motivated and bolstering work rate but also to make things possible by transforming raw thoughts into plans, plans into actions, and actions into execution. Inspiration also acts as the fuel that allows even a forlorn person to feel inspired and hopeful.
Take the help of a worksheet or template
A spectrum of worksheets is available online that helps one feel guided. These templates comprise a list of a few questions. Answering those questions provides a structure for drafting a vision statement. Examples of such questions are stated below for reference as follows:
- What are the objectives of your company?
- Is your vision statement reflective of your company’s objectives?
- Is your vision statement jargon free?
- Is your vision statement error-free?
- Is your statement short? If not, how can you make it short?
- What are the core values of your company?
- Is your vision statement aligned with your company’s values and principles?
- Is your vision statement reflective of your 5-year or 10-year plan?
- Is your vision statement inspiring enough?
- Is your vision statement enterprising and passionate instilling?
- What is your company’s purpose? Is the vision statement demonstrating the purpose?
- Is your vision statement outcome focused?
Examples of Vision Statements
IKEA:
To create a better everyday life for many people. (Core values of IKEA: unity, togetherness, leading by example, etc.)
McDonald’s:
To move with velocity to drive profitable growth and become an even better McDonald’s serving more customers delicious food each day around the world. (Core values of McDonald’s: Inclusion, virtue, etc.)
Conclusion
A vision statement is a statement that write to furnishes a roadmap to accomplish ideals and aids the company to move ahead in the desired direction along the right path. To jot down a vision statement for a business plan, service, or association, an individual needs to pursue a cluster of procedures and strategies. One should incorporate the fundamental things in a vision statement and omit the irrelevant. Remember, your vision statement should be enlightening, goal-focused, providential, concise, well-written, proofread, and value-driven.
Frequently asked questions
- What do I do after finishing writing a vision statement?
Once, you’re done with your vision statement, share it with your team, boss, and co-workers for feedback. Also, check whether it sounds ambitious and inspiring or not. Make a checklist and cross-check whether your vision statement matches the standards or not.
- How long should a vision statement be?
A vision statement should be short. It shouldn’t consist of more than 2-3 lines. Try keeping the vision statement as precise as it can be. Moreover, omit the extraneous and frivolous fragments and edit if necessary.
- Is the vision statement realistic and achievable?
Yes, when you write vision statement, it is realistic if crafted with logic and practically idealistic strategies. If the vision statement is formulated to indulge attainable goals, it’s easy to work strategically on it. A well-crafted vision statement introduces a feeling of passion and focus-driven plans. A clear, future-focused, and rational statement also facilitates a company to work all together on a single goal.
