The difference between vision and mission
Most startups have an explicitly stated mission and/or vision. Unfortunately, these statements are usually of low quality and the two types are often conflated. Mission and vision are not the same, and they’re most valuable when used together.
Mission
mission (n) – a strongly felt aim, ambition, or calling
Your mission is why you exist. Every startup exists to find and prove a business model, but why does your startup exist? Why should employees show up and how do they show up once they’re there?
A mission statement typically speaks to what you offer, for whom, and how. It should be a single sentence, short enough for everyone to commit to memory.
Vision
vision (n) – a mental image of what the future will or could be like
Your vision is the future you want to create. Bruce McCarthy describes vision as “your highest-level, longest-term objective.” It should be bold and unambiguous: people may doubt whether you can achieve it, but it should be clear whether or not you have.
Like mission, your vision statement should be short enough for everyone to commit to memory.
Mission and vision are complementary
Rather than using these terms interchangeably (a gateway to confusion and sloppy thinking), use them together. Mission and vision are complementary: a good mission statement provides the foundation for everything the company does; a good vision statement aligns employee efforts (especially at the department level) toward a shared, long-term outcome. Vision helps fuel the rocket ship; mission helps hold it together.
Here are some companies that successfully distinguish between mission and vision:
Amazon
Mission: To offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.
Source
Vision: To be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.
Toyota
Mission: To attract and attain customers with high-valued products and services and the most satisfying ownership experience in America.
Vision: To be the most successful and respected car company in America.
Source
Southwest
Mission: Connect people to what’s important in their lives through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel. Note: This is technically their “purpose” but I think it fits my definition of “mission.”
Vision: To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline.
Source
Should you define mission and vision?
Mission and vision can be valuable organizational tools, but they’re not for everyone. To assess whether your organization would benefit from a (re)defined mission and vision, take a look at your trailing indicators of culture. Does your branding feel coherent and authentic? Do your employees feel that their work is important? Do your organizational outcomes reflect what your team is capable of? If not, some organizational soul searching may be worthwhile.
[ November 2019 ]