Making a Vision from a Mission
Mission and vision are not the same thing.
A mission is what you do. Every organization needs to know this. Think mission in the military sense. “Your mission is to defend this position.” Here’s Wal-Mart’s: “To help people save money so they can live better.”
A vision is different. It’s about who you want to become and where you want to be at a time in the future. Wal-Mart’s vision at one time was “To be the worldwide leader in retailing.” Notice the difference between mission and vision.
Clarifying and communicating both mission and vision are key tasks for leaders.
If you know your mission but your vision is unclear, try these questions. I asked them yesterday at a church leadership meeting and I think they helped bring our vision into focus.
- What is our mission in a nutshell?
- What kind of organization must we be to be great at that mission?
- If we become that kind of organization and do a great job on our mission, where could we be in 5 (or 25) years?
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February 20th, 2010 at 9:10 am
Thanks Mark for the clear definition of vision and mission. I am in a business that is growing so rapidly I haven’t taken the time to define those for me and my independent business .
My mission is to offer the best alternative to candles by offering my wickless, flameless candle product so that every home can be safe.
My vision is to continue to develop a team of successful consultants so that I can continue to grow a successful business.
My goal is to be a good leader by example and also be a mentor to them that helps them reach their goals, mission, etc…
Right now I have 77 in my downline but I would like to be at 200 buy the end of the year, I know it looks as if I am setting my sites high but I need to so that I push myself. I guess I kinda need a coach as well!
February 20th, 2010 at 12:40 pm
Wow that’s cool that you have been so successful in recruiting for your downline. 200 by year end, that is an ambitious vision! With that in mind you know what you’re working toward every day.