Wie teilen Sie die Vision und das Leitbild Ihres Unternehmens mit Außenstehenden?

In addition to certain platforms where we announce our vision, mission and core values (such as website, company presentations, corporate films etc.), I believe the “outside” begins with “inside”. How? We are an in era of “communication”. Each employee is somehow a “representative” of the company, who communicates with her/his own network and environment. That is why, involvement of all the employees (here I call “insiders”), is very important to increase sense of ownership and they will transmit this culture to the “outsiders” through every customer visit, every supplier audit or even when they talk about the company in their social – personal lives. I also totally agree with “aligning the words with actions”.

What really matters to your audiences? Do you truly understand their needs, motivations and interests? And do you actually know who they are? So often, communicators assume they have the answers to these questions without talking to the very people they are there to support. Even if we have decades of experience and feel embedded in our sectors, we need to stay curious and in listening mode – and then, maybe the powerful truths around your purpose (mission & vision) will emerge.

No matter if you discuss vision statement or any other message, tailoring it to the need of the audience is a key requirement. But one mistake often executives in charge with communicating these messages about vision and strategy make, is that they see it as uni-directional communication. You need to involve people in crafting the message, not only design it for them as subjects. Talk to them before any vision statement is made, look for their input on how the message could be sent and worded. The Tipping Point model, made popular by M. Gladwell could be used here: look for mavens, connectors and salesmen within the organization first. The tipping point, made popular by Gladwell

“Vision without action is merely a dream.” — Joel A. Barker Share your company's vision and mission statements with outsiders by incorporating them into public-facing materials like your website, social media profiles, and press releases. Highlight them during key meetings, presentations, and networking events. Ensure these statements are clear, compelling, and align with your brand message, demonstrating how they drive your business strategy and values, and inviting engagement from potential partners and clients.

From my experience, one will have an opportunity to introduce and demonstrate vision and mission once a relationship is established. In the beginning, both parties should be looking for a mutually beneficial partnership that satisfies their needs, their goals, and answers their business problems. M

Aside knowing and understanding your audience, being intentional and honest with your audience makes delivery of the message easy.

As seen with many organizations, a successful communication, especially for vision and strategic topics has at least two main components: 1 - It uses a language that is encouraged in the organization which people find true and not ''marketing talk''. If your organization is more technical, than language will use some ''tech talk''. Of course, this should be balanced so everybody understands it. 2- Adapting the communication to the specific audience, especially for clients and partners of your business. This is where you want to focus more on what the client gets as a benefit, rather than what you do.

Showing the impact of your efforts/ideas/products and how these create value for others is one of the key messages. Or how it differentiates from other available options, presented in practical, user-focused stories.

You must be as bold as possible, as far as possible, as carefully as possible. Musicians have a old adage that goes, “if you’re going to mess up, mess up big,” the philosophical underpinning being, better to risk stumbling in the bias for action than drowning in the passivity that encases most industries. When meeting with anyone representing a startup, I’d rather be drawn in by contagious excitement about the prospect, even if it isn’t bulletproof.

Be specific- avoid generic platitudes. Portray your company, don't make a wishlist applicable to any company, in any sector. Be inclusive – provide the strategic direction & then include employees across functions/levels to contribute–different viewpoints, universal acceptance.Properly introduce the statements-rationale-benefits to all internal stakeholders- they will be their main ambassadors.Expect everyone to include the statements in their strategies and even in more every day decisions, e.g. formulate your brand strategy to reflect them.Consistently educate & remind internal & external stakeholders via various media, materials & occasions of the statements and the values; create visualisations to make them memorable in everyday life.

I have a difference of opinion on this one. I doubt one can/ should seek feedback on vision and mission - that's best done by the bosses. This is because of the data/ information/objectives/ strategies that only the top management will have access sto. Yes, dialogue must there be - to make people understand and work toward that. This means a lot of training and awareness of company's Vision and Mission.

Feedback on vision and mission is a more delicate topic. There is a difference between regular feedback, which involves the operational and behavior side of a business and feedback on strategic decisions. While I always support dialogue with all employees, feedback relating to strategic topics should focus on how to implement strategies and plans and less on how good/bad or convenient/inconvenient is the decision. This is also useful if you want to build trust within the organization by being transparent on what is changeable (and feedback is needed) and what is already decided upon.

Organisations write case studies about the good deliveries made by them - writing about the size of the deal in terms of value, time period, resources etc. These are mostly for the external world - to attract them. I strongly recommend that case studies are written about 'how we lived to our vision and mission' - for internal use mostly. This will help in attracting and retaining people (which is a big challenge these days).

Be Clear and Concise: Avoid jargon or overly complex language. Your vision and mission should be easily understood by anyone, regardless of their familiarity with your industry. Tell a Story: People resonate with stories. Share the origin story of your company and how the vision and mission stem from that. This can humanize your organization and make it more relatable. Show Real-World Impact: Instead of just stating your vision and mission, show how they translate into real-world actions and results. Provide examples of projects, initiatives, or changes you've made that align with and further your mission.

Another factor that must be taken into consideration is the promotion of the vision and mission statement, by adding it as a "slogan" into the organisation's papers, brochures and buildings exterior surface. This way it can be better communicated with outsiders.

During my decade long run as CEO and now 17 year run as a strategic consultant, I deeply believe the Vision, Mission, Values Statement is critical to defining everything a company does. First the leadership should facilitate a deep dive in development with every word defined by consensus and deep belief. It took my company three months to finalize our statement. It was ours! Once completed, it is shared everywhere and to everyone inside and outside the organization. It should be openly posted in every office and referred to by the leaders regularly. It is the side rails of every the decision the company makes. If the decision is not consistent with Vision, Mission, Values, you simply don’t do it.