Business Solutions

When we look at the different components and segments of the Business Plan, we find it curious that there are terms that are seemingly interchangeable, and the terms that are most often used interchangeably are mission and vision, but there is a vast difference between a mission and vision, and while the two concepts play-off of one another they work in very different ways.

Mission by itself, is the purpose or reason for the very existence of your business, so think of it as a general heading or direction, and a mission is what you stand for as well, should be timeless and it should rarely, if ever, change and it should always stand the test of time in that there is no end to the mission.

A vision by itself is a specific future destination or a “dream with a deadline,” and having said that you should understand that the vision should change over time, and the vision must say “yes” to some ideas and “no” to others, since it’s about what the future might be, could be, and shouldn’t be, for example, “To put a man on the moon before the end of the 1960’s.”

You must realize that mission is all about preserving the core of which provides continuity and stability to your business, like a fixed stake in the ground or the horizon limiting possibilities, and always acting conservatively, while the vision is about stimulating progress, urging continual change, compelling constant movement, expanding possibilities, and revolutionary change.

Now to build your mission always remember, a mission statement should be somewhat timeless and it should apply not only today but possibly even twenty to fifty years from now, and it should put forth a general direction or heading, by stating what it is that you stand for, and in essence, a mission can never really be achieved since it should be on going, and if it can be achieved if completed, then it is a vision not your mission, and you should think of your mission as your true north heading on your compass that will always be there pointing the way. Many times the best mission statements are also the simplest, as Microsoft’s mission is as simple as “Help entrepreneurs realize their full potential”.

To build your vision, you must ask yourself “What big goal do you want to try to achieve in five years from now, what does success look like in five years, and in five years from now, how should your business be different than it is now, and using your own metrics of success what approach should you take to accomplish in five years for you to consider your business successful? Once again, the simplest statement is many times the best, and Microsoft’s vision is as simple as, “a computer in every home running Microsoft software”.