Vision, Mission, Culture: The Heartbeat of a Business
Vision, mission, and culture are the heartbeat of a business. They provide clarity, direction, and alignment. They help you understand where you are going, what you need to do to get there, and how you need to show up along the way.
Vision is how we see our world in the future. Mission is the action we will take to accomplish our vision. Culture is how we need to be in the world in order to fulfill our mission.
Together, these three statements create the strategic foundation for a business. They help you stay focused, attract the right people and customers, make better decisions, and build something that can have a lasting impact.
None of the three is more important than the others. They work together.
Unfortunately, many business owners never write down their vision, mission, and culture. Even when they do, they may not revisit them, communicate them, or use them to guide their decisions. That can be a costly mistake.
Without a clear direction, running a business can feel like swimming in the Pacific Ocean a thousand miles away from land. You can swim as hard as you want, but if you don't know where you are going, you may spend an enormous amount of energy getting nowhere.
How long can you keep swimming like that?
Probably about as long as you can tread water in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
Where Do I Start?
Writing a vision, mission, and culture statement can seem daunting. A quick Internet search can make it even more confusing. There is an enormous amount of information available, and there are countless ways to define and explain these concepts.
Some companies combine their vision and mission. Some use words such as values or ethics instead of culture. Some statements are one sentence long, while others are several paragraphs.
And then there are the questions that begin running through our heads:
How long should a vision be?
What is the difference between a mission and a vision?
What if I want to change them?
Culture? I've never heard of that before.
What is a culture statement?
When should I write these?
How do I start?
The answer to the last two questions is simple:
Start now. Write now.
Don't get caught up in how long each statement should be or whether you are following someone else's formula perfectly. There are guidelines, but they are just guidelines.
Your vision is how you see your world in the future.
Your mission is the action you will take to accomplish that vision.
Your culture is how you need to be in the world in order to fulfill your mission.
Once you have written your vision, mission, and culture, there shouldn't be a reason to change them every time something in your business changes. If you find yourself constantly rewriting them, you may end up right back in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, swimming aimlessly.
Your business plan, on the other hand, is meant to change.
Your business plan is a living document. It should remain flexible, fluid, and responsive so you can make the changes necessary to keep your business aligned with your vision, mission, and culture.
When you live your passion and stay aligned with it, your foundation should remain steady even as your strategy changes.
What Do Other Companies Do?
Here are some examples of vision and mission statements from companies we are familiar with.
TED
Vision: We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world.
Mission: Spread ideas.
Vision: To create economic opportunity for every member of the global workforce.
Mission: To connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful.
Uber
Vision: Smarter transportation with fewer cars and greater access. Transportation that's safer, cheaper, and more reliable; transportation that creates more job opportunities and higher incomes for drivers.
Mission: Uber's mission is to bring transportation — for everyone, everywhere.
Ferrari
Vision: Ferrari, Italian Excellence that makes the world dream.
Mission: We build cars, symbols of Italian excellence the world over, and we do so to win on both road and track. Unique creations that fuel the Prancing Horse legend and generate a "World of Dreams and Emotions."
GoDaddy
Vision: We will radically shift the global economy toward small business by empowering people to easily start, confidently grow and successfully run their own ventures.
Mission: We are here to help our customers kick ass. We do that by living our strategy and ruthlessly prioritizing our work to create simple elegant technology that delights our customers — all while delivering service that is second to none. Every single day, we join forces across teams and groups to break down barriers, build new markets and stare down the impossible until the impossible blinks.
Whole Foods
Vision: Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole Planet
Mission: Whole Foods Market is a dynamic leader in the quality food business. We are a mission-driven company that aims to set the standards of excellence for food retailers. We are building a business in which high standards permeate all aspects of our company. Quality is a state of mind at Whole Foods Market.
These examples demonstrate something important: there isn't one perfect format.
What matters is that the statement means something to the organization and provides direction.
Now let's create yours.
Vision
Vision is how you see our world in the future.
Vision is the why, the what, the tomorrow, and the noun.
Your vision describes the future you want to create. It is bigger than what you sell or what you do today. It describes what you believe the world could look like, feel like, or be like because your business exists.
Let's say you want to open a clothing store.
Don't start by thinking about the store.
Instead, imagine the world if everyone bought and wore your textiles. What would people experience? How would they feel? What would change?
Your vision might be:
"To give people the freedom of comfort and expression."
Now let's get some ideas written down.
Read the following questions out loud. Close your eyes for a couple of seconds. Envision your answer. Then write down every thought that comes to mind.
What do you see your client, customer, or patient doing with your service or product?
Why do you see your client, customer, or patient feeling the way they do with your service or product?
What do you believe your client, customer, or patient is seeking when they use or buy your service or product?
Why do you believe your client, customer, or patient has changed because of your service or product?
Don't edit yourself while you are answering.
Capture the ideas first.
Now you have the beginnings of your perfect future-world vision. Look for the themes, words, and ideas that appear again and again. Combine them into a sentence or even a couple of sentences.
You have seen that visions can take many different forms. Don't worry about making yours perfect on the first try.
Write down at least ten different versions of your vision.
Read them all.
Is there one that stands out?
Is there one that gives you chills or melts your heart?
That's the one you want to pay attention to.
Circle your most inspiring answer. Choose a couple if you must.
Then let's move on to your mission.
Mission
A mission is the action you need to take to accomplish your vision.
Mission is the how, the who, the where, the when, the today, and the verb.
Your vision describes the future you want to create. Your mission describes how you are going to help create it.
Let's go back to our clothing store.
The vision is:
"To give people the freedom of comfort and expression."
Now ask yourself:
How will you make that happen?
A possible mission statement might be:
"Through daily innovation and creativity, our textiles will offer customers worldwide a wide array of styles and colors while allowing freedom of movement, a comfort that feels like home whether at work or in leisure."
Again, don't worry about getting the perfect sentence immediately.
Let's get some ideas written down.
Read the following questions out loud. Close your eyes for a couple of seconds. Envision your answer. Then write down every thought that comes to mind.
Who are your clients, customers, or patients who would benefit from your service or product?
How do you want your client, customer, or patient to feel when using your service or product?
When do your clients, customers, or patients use or buy your service or product?
Where are your clients, customers, or patients who need your service or product?
Now gather the themes, words, and ideas from your answers and begin putting them together.
Write down at least ten different versions of your mission.
Read through each version.
Which one feels right?
Which one makes you feel something?
Which one clearly describes the action your business will take to create the future described in your vision?
Circle your strongest answer. Choose a couple if you must.
Then let's move on to culture.
Culture
Culture is how you need to be in the world in order to fulfill your mission.
It is your values that you live by.
Your business is a reflection of you. The people you bring into your business will influence that reflection, which is why culture is so important.
Without a well-defined culture, your employees may not understand or align with your values. If they don't understand how you need to be, it becomes much harder for them to fulfill your vision and maintain your mission.
Think about it this way.
If you are a plant-based organization and you hire a person who has never consumed anything but meat and leather products, that person may have difficulty understanding your culture.
Likewise, using our clothing-company example, if an employee believes professional clothing must always be high-end, formal, and restrictive, they may not understand how comfort and expression can fit into the professional world.
In other words, you cannot effectively create, believe in, or sell something you do not understand, value, or get on board with.
Culture helps you determine who belongs on your team and how those people need to operate once they are there.
So ask yourself:
What core values drive your life?
What matters to you beyond making money?
What behaviors do you expect from the people representing your business?
Here is an example to consider while drafting your culture.
Keep in mind that this is a very detailed culture statement. Your culture can be a couple of sentences, or it can be much more detailed. Ultimately, it is up to you.
Remember, though, that the values you establish for your business become expectations for the people who work with your business.
You are telling prospective employees, contractors, and partners:
This is who we are. This is how we operate. This is what we believe.
An Example of a Detailed Culture Statement
Our company believes that continuously striving to excel at the following core set of values will lead to long-term profitability, growth, and an enhanced ability to serve our clients.
Act with Honesty and Integrity.
We take personal responsibility for our standard of behavior and for the decisions we make every day. Honesty and integrity must always be at the core of those decisions. Both attributes are held in the highest regard at our business and will always guide us to "Do the Right Thing."
Constantly Focus on Quality.
Quality is paramount to our business. We work toward producing the highest quality work, both in the field and within our offices.
Provide Professional Excellence.
Providing professional excellence to our clients is at the root of what we do. Continually improving our skills and knowledge base allows us to deliver on this core value. By constantly providing professional excellence and continually improving our abilities, we create the opportunity to advance our business as a leading consulting company.
Promote a Cooperative Team Environment.
Our goal is to collaborate with all team members associated with our projects, including clients, partners, subcontractors, sub-consultants, vendors, regulatory authorities, and employees. Working in such an environment allows us to make informed and efficient resolutions to even the most complex issues.
Respect Our Clients, Partners, Vendors, and Subcontractors.
Treating others with respect allows us to demonstrate the professionalism expected by coworkers and clients. Respect helps facilitate and encourage the cooperative team environment and collaboration necessary to provide excellent service to our clients.
Cultivate Long-Term Relationships with Our Clients.
We believe every project is an opportunity to develop a long-term relationship with our clients. By consistently delivering what we provide and adhering to our core values, we forge long-term relationships that provide ongoing work over time.
Your culture doesn't need to be this long or detailed.
However, keep in mind that the more specific you are when hiring and building a team, the more likely you are to attract the kind of employee, contractor, or freelancer you are seeking.
Don't just write down words such as integrity, quality, teamwork, and respect.
Ask yourself what those words actually mean in your business.
What does integrity look like when a client is unhappy?
What does quality look like when you are under a deadline?
What does teamwork look like when people disagree?
What does respect look like when a difficult decision has to be made?
Your culture comes alive through behavior.
Write down the values.
Define what they mean.
Then start developing your culture.
Here are some additional questions to ask:
Who are the people I want to work with?
What are the people like whom I can trust with my vision and mission?
How do I expect the people who are a part of my business to be?
Gather those answers and put your culture on paper.
ClearPath Business Solutions – Shelly Rosnik
My own vision, mission, and culture provide an example of how these ideas can come together.
Vision:
To promote sustainable economic growth for companies to become and remain at the top of their industries.
Mission:
I am the innovator of the modern-era business-building process. I am my clients' most trusted consultant and coach by consistently exceeding expectations and bringing the highest value to each venture.
Culture:
I intentionally limit the number of clients I serve because I believe exceptional consulting requires personal attention. When you work with me, you work directly with me. Your business, your challenges, and your goals receive my individual attention rather than being passed through layers of employees or delegated to someone who doesn't know your business. I become personally invested in every client's success and make it a priority to be accessible, responsive, and fully engaged throughout our relationship.
These statements give us a foundation from which to make decisions, build relationships, develop our team, and grow our business.
Put It All Together
Think about vision, mission, and culture as three parts of the same system.
Vision: Where are we going?
Mission: What are we doing to get there?
Culture: How do we need to be to make it happen?
Your vision paints the picture of the future.
Your mission puts you into action.
Your culture determines how you and your team behave while taking that action.
When the three are aligned, they create something much more powerful than three statements sitting on a wall or hidden in an employee handbook.
They become a guide.
They can help you decide which opportunities to pursue and which ones to walk away from. They can help you determine who belongs on your team. They can help you communicate what your business stands for to your customers, employees, partners, and stakeholders.
Most importantly, they can help keep you from swimming aimlessly.
Conclusion
Congratulations!
You now have a strong draft of your vision, mission, and culture.
Your vision paints a picture of the future your business aims to create. It gives your organization something meaningful to work toward and communicates the larger impact you hope to make.
Your mission defines the action your business takes to create that future. It provides a guiding principle for what you do today and helps you make decisions that keep you moving in the right direction.
Your culture establishes the values and behaviors that determine how your team operates. It helps create a cohesive environment and attracts people who understand, support, and can contribute to your vision and mission.
Remember:
Vision is the future.
Mission is the action.
Culture is how you show up.
Write them down.
Talk about them.
Live them.
Let them guide your decisions.
And when the business changes, don't automatically change the foundation. Change the business plan—the living document that allows you to remain flexible and responsive while staying aligned with your purpose.
A strong vision, mission, and culture can provide the foundation for sustainable economic growth and help your company become—and remain—at the top of its industry.
