BUSINESS EDU Vision, Values, Mission: Making Statements That Benefit Your Business – by Cathryn Castle Garcia, Owner, ClearStoryCoach.com, The Azores Cathryn Castle Garcia is a writer, business strategist, & co-owner of C2G2Productions.com, a multimedia production company.
If you’re in business, you’re on a mission. Do you and your team know the mission and how to achieve it? And are you equipped to succeed? The iconic phrase, “Your mission, should you choose to accept it,” is a hallmark of the blockbuster Mission: Impossible spy movie franchise. No matter which
success story. These are the non-negotiables that answer im- portant questions like, “What do we stand for?” and “How do we behave?” and “What matters most?” Your values state- ment is action-oriented and specific to your company. Ideally, it includes no more than four to six key values (more than that can be overwhelming) and it includes brief explanations of what each value means to your company. Incidentally, your values statement is also the foundation of your em- ployee handbook, but we’ll save that topic for another time. Here's an example of a values statement: “Our core values include Safety, Stewardship, a Spirit of Adventure, and Serv- ice. We make sure all aquatic activities are conducted with uncompromising safety standards; we promote environmen- tally safe practices; we share our love of adventure and in-
“MI” flick you’re bingeing, the scene that follows is a mes- sage saying, “should you choose to accept this mission, in the event you are captured, the agency will disavow any knowledge of your existence.” In short, “good luck with that.” This is spy life. It’s business life, too. There aren’t any guarantees your business will survive and thrive. My mission is to help you understand why your business’s mission state- ment is a key to your success – and it’s why I’ll help you write it. If your business already has a mission statement, yay for you. That’s great. You can use this ar- ticle to revisit your mission statement and see if it could ben- efit from a revision. But First, Vision and Values: Before we start on the mis- sion statement, let’s go over vision and values statements, which are foundational to the success of any business’s mis- sion. A vision statement is your company’s long term goal. It’s aspirational and forward-facing. As the business owner, use your imagination to envision where you want your business to be in five years. Or 10. Take a few notes you’ll use to craft a simple sentence or two that communicates your vision of the future. Here’s an example of a vision statement: “Our goal as the premiere dive center in the metro region is to expand our reach across the tri-state area so we can help more people safely enjoy becoming underwater explorers and ocean ad- vocates.” A values statement is what you’ll share with staff members that outlines the core principles you and your team will use to turn your aspirational vision statement into your future
spire exploration that fosters education; and we work to sup- port and improve our local com- munity.” Once you craft your company’s vision statement and values state-
ment, you’ll weave elements of them into your mission state- ment. You’ve probably been on enough boats to know that a braided dock line woven from three strands of rope is strong, flexible, and resists snapping when under pressure. The same is true for a mission statement that includes your vision and values. Your Mission Starts With Why: Your company’s mission statement describes what you do, how you do it, and who you serve by doing it. Most importantly, it shares why you do it. I highly recommend you watch the classic YouTube video by Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Action . It has been viewed more than 12 million times since it was posted 15 years ago. I’ve watched it dozens of times and recently ordered the updated 15th anniversary edi- tion of the book, which came out a couple of months ago. To aid in crafting a compelling mission statement, grab a notepad and follow along with Sinek’s famous “Golden Cir- cle” YouTube illustration. Draw a circle and inside it, write “Why.” Draw a circle around that circle and label it, “How.” Lastly, draw a circle around that circle and label it, “What.”
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