Based on the analogy of the mountain range that Collins used, defining your mission as the mountain that you're currently climbing helps us narrow things down quite a bit, but let's get more specific.
Take a second and think about what ultimate success looks like in your mind. We are talking about the success that you honestly believe is achievable and aligns with your business model or overall "why" for your organization. Go ahead and write down what that looks like for you. Depending on how big your vision for your business is, it could be helpful to set a mission like crushing the leading competitor or having a certain defined impact on the world. Your mission is the big goal that stretches and inspires you and your future organization to achieve something great.
Jim Collins defines a mission like this: "unlike purpose, which is never achieved, a mission should be achievable. It translates values and purpose into an energizing, highly focused goal - like the moon mission. It is crisp, clear, bold, and exhilarating. It reaches out and grabs people in the gut. It requires a little or no explanation; people "get it" right away. Once the mission is fulfilled, you return to purpose to set a new mission."
Whatever mission you choose, it has to be attainable, definable, and trackable. Try and keep it as short as possible; one or two sentences is ideal.
Here are some examples of Mission Statements:
PayPal: "To build the web's most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution."
Henry Ford set this mission in 1909: "We're going to democratize the automobile."
Asos: "To become the number 1 fashion destination for 20-somethings globally."
Collins developed another term to use in place of mission, Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). It means exactly what it sounds like, a huge goal your business will work towards. Feel free to use "BHAG" in place of "mission" if it helps you. But whatever you do, please unlearn what you have learned about mission statements. They have become more or less meaningless in most companies. Your mission must be exciting and inspiring!
Side Note: We are using examples of mission statements from highly ambitious organizations with goals that can shape global industries. But that doesn't mean your mission statement needs to be grandiose or ambitious. The main thing is it aligns with your picture of what success looks like for your business. If the picture you have of success is being the best florist in your county, that is your mission.
Click here to download a PDF version of our Vision Statement Form.
Let's put it all together by using the values, purpose, and mission you outlined above. There's no secret to doing this; it's simply going to be trial and error until you land on a vision statement that feels right for your business. Do your best to pull out and summarize your top values, purpose, and mission to combine them into one cohesive vision statement. Likely whatever you come up with right now will evolve later as you think about it more. So the important thing right now is not that you land on a vision statement that can go on your company's website; the important thing is that you have a vision statement that is in line with your mission, values, and purpose. It will be helpful to download the Vision Statement PDF and keep it close so you can easily revise your vision statement over the next few weeks.
Based on the analogy of the mountain range that Collins used, defining your mission as the mountain that you're currently climbing helps us narrow things down quite a bit, but let's get more specific.
Take a second and think about what ultimate success looks like in your mind. We are talking about the success that you honestly believe is achievable and aligns with your business model or overall "why" for your organization. Go ahead and write down what that looks like for you. Depending on how big your vision for your business is, it could be helpful to set a mission like crushing the leading competitor or having a certain defined impact on the world. Your mission is the big goal that stretches and inspires you and your future organization to achieve something great.
Jim Collins defines a mission like this: "unlike purpose, which is never achieved, a mission should be achievable. It translates values and purpose into an energizing, highly focused goal - like the moon mission. It is crisp, clear, bold, and exhilarating. It reaches out and grabs people in the gut. It requires a little or no explanation; people "get it" right away. Once the mission is fulfilled, you return to purpose to set a new mission."
Whatever mission you choose, it has to be attainable, definable, and trackable. Try and keep it as short as possible; one or two sentences is ideal.
Here are some examples of Mission Statements:
PayPal: "To build the web's most convenient, secure, cost-effective payment solution."
Henry Ford set this mission in 1909: "We're going to democratize the automobile."
Asos: "To become the number 1 fashion destination for 20-somethings globally."
Collins developed another term to use in place of mission, Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG). It means exactly what it sounds like, a huge goal your business will work towards. Feel free to use "BHAG" in place of "mission" if it helps you. But whatever you do, please unlearn what you have learned about mission statements. They have become more or less meaningless in most companies. Your mission must be exciting and inspiring!
Side Note: We are using examples of mission statements from highly ambitious organizations with goals that can shape global industries. But that doesn't mean your mission statement needs to be grandiose or ambitious. The main thing is it aligns with your picture of what success looks like for your business. If the picture you have of success is being the best florist in your county, that is your mission.
Click here to download a PDF version of our Vision Statement Form.
Let's put it all together by using the values, purpose, and mission you outlined above. There's no secret to doing this; it's simply going to be trial and error until you land on a vision statement that feels right for your business. Do your best to pull out and summarize your top values, purpose, and mission to combine them into one cohesive vision statement. Likely whatever you come up with right now will evolve later as you think about it more. So the important thing right now is not that you land on a vision statement that can go on your company's website; the important thing is that you have a vision statement that is in line with your mission, values, and purpose. It will be helpful to download the Vision Statement PDF and keep it close so you can easily revise your vision statement over the next few weeks.