Mission, Vision & Values

Find Your Mission

If you studied business at any level, or even sat in a business seminar, you would have likely heard the phrases; mission, vision and values. But what exactly are they? Do businesses need this? The simple answer for the latter is yes! Every business should have and know their mission, vision and values. Each and every employee should know the mission, vision and values of the company.

Mission

The mission is essentially the company’s reason to exist. Why was the company created in the first place? What function is the company serving?

Let’s take a look at Disney’s mission statement:

“To entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds, and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.”

As we can see from the mission statement, a few key words strike out. The mission statement above highlights to both insiders and outsiders of why Disney exist. It is clear and concise. This is what your mission statement should be, clear and concise to why your company exist.

Vision

Many companies often blur the line with vision and mission, using the two interchangeably. This should not be the case. Your vision is where you envision your company will be. It is your future oriented goals. When creating your vision for your company, it is always a good idea to have a shared vision with your team. It should transform from ‘What do I want to create’ to ‘What do we want to create’. Having a shared vision with your team not only allows alignment of where the company wants to go, but the vision can be a useful motivation tool.

An example is the vision Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, had all the way back in 1997 for Amazon:

“Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

If you asked someone this in 1997, they may have laughed at you, or curiously remark why a rainforest in Brazil need a vision. Nowadays, pretty much everyone knows what Amazon is. This is due to not one man, but the whole company having a shared vision and working towards this vision.

Values

Your values are the ethics of your company. They are your moral compass. They are the principal the company, the leaders and all the employees strive to follow. If you feel the company will not be able to meet a value statement you want, or even the employees may not be able to meet it, then delete it! It is important for companies to uphold their value, in order for employees and clients to trust the company.

Below are the values Coca-Cola mentioned they adhere to for 2021:

“Leadership, collaboration, integrity, accountability, passion, diversity, and quality”

Looking at the list of values, it may sometimes feel like a bunch of buzz words. This is why when creating the values, not only do you have to mean it, but you have to let others know what you mean with the language you have chosen!

Mission, vision and values are not static. They are ever-flowing and will need continuous updating, as the internal and external environment changes around.

One key question to always ask yourself is: Do the employees know the mission, vision and values? If they don’t, it is the responsibility of the company and the management team to ensure they do, as well as ensure there’s an alignment of understanding.

Need help with making sure your team knows the company’s mission, vision and values? Click on the link below to see our training on mission, vision and values below!