Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing
Archive for January, 2008
Vision vs. Mission
by Mike Myatt, Chief Strategy Officer, N2growth
Do you understand the difference between vision and mission? Moreover, do you understand how to leverage their proper use into increased operating performance for your company? Over the years I have witnessed many an executive confuse vision and mission to the detriment of their organizations. This often occurs as a result of the CEO or entrepreneur simply not investing the time to stop and understand the differences between the two. In the text that follows I’ll clearly explain the difference between vision and mission…
I developed a simple organizational framework several years ago which defines the order of operations surrounding management theory. It has been widely adopted by business schools and corporations alike and will serve as a useful backdrop to answering today’s question. It goes like this…”Vision dictates Mission which determines Strategy, which surfaces Goals that frame Objectives, which in turn drives the Tactics that tell an organization what Resources, Infrastructure and Processes are needed to support a certainty of execution” (Mike Myatt, 1988).
You see vision statements are design oriented, while mission statements are execution oriented. In fact, it is the corporate vision that should determine its mission. The vision is bigger picture and future oriented, while the mission is more immediately focused on the present. It is the vision that defines the end game, and the mission is the road map that will take you there.
Vision statements, as implied in the construction of the phraseology itself, put forth a statement of envisioned future. This vision if successful must be underpinned by core ideology, and then expressed with clarity and conviction. A non existent, ambiguous, or ideologically weak corporate vision is nothing short of a recipe for disaster…It would be akin to the proverbial ship without a rudder adrift without any direction or control.
As noted above, mission statements should reflect greater focus on more immediate concerns that support the overarching vision.
Lastly, don’t get caught up in attempting to develop something catchy to be encapsulated within a piece of framed artwork that hangs in your reception area yet never put into practice. I have made it a point over the years when I see a mission statement posted on the wall of a company to ask employees if they can recite it…they rarely can. It is much more important that your vision and mission be understood by company employees and translated into the resultant authenticity of their actions. Your customers don’t care what you put on paper, but they care immensely about whether or not a company’s vision and mission are reflected in a fulfilled brand promise.
About the Author
Mike Myatt is a Top CEO Coach, author of “Leadership Matters…The CEO Survival Manual,” and is the Managing Director and Chief Strategy Officer at N2growth.
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