Mission Statement

Now onto the “mission statement” of the firm, which could be a for-profit, not-forprofit, governmental, educational, etc. In short, the mission statement states:
• Who we are?
• What we do?
• Where we are now?
• And, (hopefully), where we are going!
But, a long-term course of action is really the “vision” of where we want to be. The
mission is current; the vision is the future! How do you get from a “mission” to a
“vision?” What changes are occurring in the market where we operate? What new
(or different) customer needs should we satisfy? Do we “create” a need? What new
(different) buyer segments should we be concentrating on? How do you
communicate the “strategic vision”? How do you let employees know that they are,
for example, “building a cathedral,” instead of just “laying stones”??? Is the “mission
statement” motivational?? Is the “vision statement” more motivational??
Do a little research on the Internet (e.g., Google, Yahoo, etc.) and find the “mission
statements” of some companies. Note the ones which are good — and the ones
which are lousy. Why were the good ones good? And, why were the bad ones
lousy??? Then “agree” and “disagree” with each other! (Of course, be professional!)
See how the “mission” and the “vision” DRIVE the company! Or, does it “crash”?