A successful strategy of any organization starts with a clear vision statement.
Photo by Gabrielle Henderson on Unsplash
It shapes the present and future of a company and serves as an anchor point for its growth. If writing a vision statement seems like a daunting task, let our article guide you through the process step by step.
What Is a Vision Statement?
A vision statement is a one-sentence-long reflection of the meaning and purpose of your business. It shows what the organization stands for and what it wants to achieve in the long term. A compelling vision statement is:
- inspiring
- meaningful
- intentional
- ambitious
- strategic
- specific
Why Does Your Business Need a Vision Statement?
Every organization needs a vision statement because it allows communicating its core ideals to all stakeholders. It helps them to understand the shared end goal to focus their efforts on. A vision statement brings clarity and direction to your strategy.
Writing a vision statement is also an excellent exercise to capture what an organization is working towards. Business students often have to write vision statements along with business plans and proposals for their academic projects. Whenever you need help with these assignments or any other papers, contact DoMyEssay. Their professional writers will complete the tasks for you and deliver original papers.
How to Write a Vision Statement
When writing a vision statement, you need to put everything your organization is working towards in a single sentence and choose the right words to convey its true value. This task might seem challenging. Yet, if you use our tips to guide your work, you’ll create a vision statement that will empower your business.
- Identify What Makes Your Business Special
A vision statement is a reflection of what your organization does. You should stick to the specifics when crafting it. It’s hardly possible to find a product that is one of a kind. Yet, businesses that actually become successful have a unique twist to them that makes them special. Your goal is to identify what makes your company stand out and use it to empower the vision statement.
Making a statement too generic is a common mistake that many organizations overlook. To check whether you managed to articulate the vision of your company successfully, try to apply it to any other organization. If it works, it’s a sign that your vision statement is too general and needs to be revised.
- Ask Big Questions
With a vision statement, you give your business a direction and streamline its work. To get it right, think about its scale and long-term impact. It might be helpful to hold a brainstorming session with business stakeholders and discuss foundational questions, like:
- What impact does the organization make on the community or the world?
- Why does the impact of the organization matter?
- What is the main purpose of the organization?
- What are the most ambitious goals of the organization?
- Which strong points does the organization have?
- What does the organization stand for?
Answers to these questions will serve as a roadmap for the vision statement.
- Think About Core Organizational Values
To formulate the vision of a company, you need to consider its values. Key concepts and beliefs a business is built around differentiate it from other companies in the industry. To identify what makes your organization unique, look through the vision statements of your competitors to analyze similar and contrasting features.
Values like courage, integrity, loyalty, justice, freedom, and respect may provide a foundation for the vision of your business. Choose carefully as it must be meaningful to the leaders and employees of the company.
- Keep It Simple and Concise
A vision statement should be concise. It’s rarely longer than a sentence. When writing a vision statement, your goal is to make it short and memorable so that everyone keeps it in mind. If you find it difficult to come up with a concise statement right away, you can write an expanded version. It might help you to identify the most important point and turn it into a catchy vision statement.
A vision statement also needs to be easy to understand for people inside and outside the organization. Therefore, refrain from using complicated language, technical jargon, and complex metaphors. In the end, you are not working on a research paper nor using a custom dissertation writing help service.
- Project What Success Looks Like
It’s crucial to dream big when establishing a vision for your business. Imagine that your company dominates the market. What does success look like? What does it entail?
Even if your organization is still new to the industry, don’t be afraid to envision success and use this image for the statement. Your business might not be there yet, but a successful vision statement will give you a better understanding of how your company can grow. This will help you to progress towards your aspirations and definition of success.
Examples of Successful Vision Statements
If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the vision statements of some of the world’s largest companies.
- Google: “To provide access to the world’s information in one click.”
- Prezi: “To reinvent how people share knowledge, tell stories, and inspire their audiences to act.”
- Oxfam: “A world without poverty.”
- Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
- TED: “Spread ideas.”
- Sony: “To be a company that inspires and fulfills your curiosity.”
- Ford: “People working together as a lean, global enterprise to make people’s lives better through automotive and mobility leadership.”
- Starbucks: “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.”
- Samsung: “Inspire the world, create the future.”
- Tesla: “To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Conclusion
A vision statement is not something you write and forget. It’s an inspiration. It serves to communicate the goals and purpose of your business. Make sure your vision statement is a concise reflection of the unique goals and values of your company. It will motivate your team and lead the business forward to its success.