What are the best practices for aligning your vision and mission with your strategy and goals?

1 What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a concise and inspiring statement that describes your desired future state. It answers the question: What do you want to achieve in the long term? A vision statement should be aspirational, memorable, and realistic. It should reflect your core values and your unique value proposition. A vision statement should also be aligned with your industry, market, and customer needs.

2 What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is a clear and specific statement that explains what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. It answers the question: What is your reason for being? A mission statement should be actionable, measurable, and relevant. It should define your target market, your products or services, and your competitive advantage. A mission statement should also be aligned with your vision, strategy, and goals.

3 Examples of vision and mission statements

Let's look at some examples of vision and mission statements from well-known companies and see how they align with their strategy and goals. Amazon's vision is to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online. Their mission is to continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximise their success. Apple's vision is to create products that are at the intersection of the humanities and technology, and their mission is to bring the best user experience to its customers through its innovative hardware, software, and services. Starbucks' vision and mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time. Tesla's vision is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy, and their mission is to create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world's transition to electric vehicles.