What is the Big Deal about Vision, Mission & Values?

Shawnee Love   •  
March 30, 2011

It seems to me that the collective awareness of the importance of Vision, Values & Mission is at an all time high. Unlike years past, business owners recognize they need a Mission Statement and not just because there is an empty frame on the wall that needs filling.

To me, Vision, Values, and Mission are the foundation of an organization and also the heart. They determine where we are going and how we go about getting there. In the absence of clear answers, they guide our decision making and they shore us up when our confidence ebbs and we aren’t sure if the obstacles are surmountable.

They work best together and all three are equally important in calibrating the compass of our organizations. I explain these concepts as follows:

Vision is what we are working towards or the destination we want to reach. Vision is our big hairy audacious goal like saving the world’s drinking supply, finding a cure for cancer, making the best website or a wine to be proud of.

Mission explains why we want to achieve that goal. Is it to save humanity or our next door neighbour’s son? Is it to bring happiness to the world a la Coke or make the worlds information accessible and useful like Google? Our mission is our raison d’etre and the purpose for existing.

Values are the navigational beacons that keep us on track. They guide how we operate our business, lead our people, interact with our customers and suppliers, etc.

I often find the theory a bit confusing, so I hope you don’t mind me sharing Love HR’s Vision, Mission & Values to illustrate:

Vision: Customized, creative and practical people solutions for the 21st century.

Mission: Help small & medium sized find, keep and engage great people.

Values: Quality, Service, Communication, Integrity, Fun.

How about you? Care to share your vision, mission and values?