The first fundamental question we will ask about your business is, where are you going? To do that, we will dive into the StacDek vision Statement template that we adapted from a tool Jim Collins and Jerry Porras developed. This is the simplest and most effective way to clarify your organization's vision. Simply put, your vision is the answer to the question of "where are you going."

"if you examine the historical evolution of great companies closely… you will find that, at some point, while the company was still relatively small, key leaders instilled a compelling vision into the organization." – Jim Collins and Bill Lazier (Beyond Entrepreneurship 2.0)

So why does vision matter? There are lots of reasons, but here are a few significant ones we want to highlight for your consideration. 

1. An excellent company vision inspires action in everybody. 
2. Your vision creates the story of your organization. 
3. A compelling vision unites people.
4. A strong vision guides our decision-making. 
   

"If nobody knows what the vision and direction and goals are, then employees have nothing to serve but themselves." - Ken Blanchard, Author of The One Minute Manager. 

One challenge in communicating your vision is that key terms can vary widely depending on whom you talk with. At StacDek, we keep things simple, so we are going to provide the best definitions we have found for every key term we use. As you communicate your organization's vision, you may need to provide these definitions to others to encourage alignment.  

Values & Beliefs - The principles and philosophies that guide your business. 

Purpose - The "Why" behind your business. 

Mission - The big goal you are currently pursuing. 

Jim Collins uses this analogy to help explain the difference between mission and purpose. "Think of pursuing a guiding star across a mountain range. Your purpose is the guiding star, always on the horizon, never attainable, but always pulling you forward. Your mission, on the other hand, is the specific Mountain you're climbing at the moment."

Before we dive into writing your company's vision statement, it will be helpful to download the StacDek Framework PDF templates in your dashboard if you haven't already.