You walk into banking hall to make a transaction and due to circumstances beyond your control, you decide to relax and patiently wait for your turn, you then find your self in the process looking around the hall and beholding things you might not have taken notice of, one of which is the bank's vision and mission statement...
yeah right, you can relate
Boldly written down vision and mission statements are not just found in banking halls, you'll find them also at fancy restaurants, salons, tech houses, hubs and almost every office space and they are strategically positioned such that it is the first thing you see when you are a little distracted or focused.
Ever wondered why it is left there?
A vision statement is simply a vision that has been written down in comprehendable sentence(s)
stiil complicated?
A vision is something that is seen or perceived visually, usually unclear initially but after it has undergone several thought processes,it begins to make sense and you can then put it out for people to see also.
When it comes to organizations (profit oriented and non-profict oriented), a vision is where the organization seeks to be.
The vision statement gives an overview of what the organization is seeking to achieve and what drives it
Here are a few examples
We are a team driven to deliver the utmost in customer service. We are synonymous with innovation, building excellence and superior financial performance and creating role models for society - GTBank
To lead the delivery of a bold, new, digital world to our consumers- MTN
To be a leading, competitive, Nutrition, Health and Wellness Company delivering improved shareholder value by being a preferred corporate citizen, preferred employer, preferred supplier selling preferred products.- Necafe
To become the leader in luxury market at world- wide level - GUCCI
Our vision is to become the world’s most renowned center for customer service in the automotive sector. - Mercedez-Benz
i can go on and on but i'll stop there
If you are familiar with any of the above brands, you can relate with the fact that to an extent they are living up to their vision(statement)
Vision and Mission used Interchangedably
If you have ever stumbled upon a vision statement, somewhere beside it or under it lies the mission statement.
It looks so much like the vision statement and if you are not careful, you might mix up the two.
While the vision statement shows where the organization desires to be, the mission shows how it intends to get there.
I'll once again help out with a few examples
We are a high quality financial services provider with the urge to be the best at all times whiles adding value to all stakeholders. - GTBank
Our mission of "Good Food, Good Life" is to provide consumers with the best tasting, most nutritious choices in a wide range of food and beverage categories and eating occasions, from morning to night.- Nestle
“Dedicated to Customers, Driven by Excellence” - Mercedez-Benz
To make our customer's lives a whole lot brighter- MTN
if you read carefully, the mission statement give a more specific detail about their product or service, it may not look so much different from the vision statement but it has a hold on what comes out from the organization.
You will need some help!
when starting up an organization, you'll start alone or with a team of likeminds but as time goes on, you might need to bring more people on board to either assist you or continue from where you have stopped and they in most cases come in form of employees ,delegates or partners.
Handing down your vision to another person is one of the greatest risk you can take as a visioneer
It happens!
Other organizations have survived it, yours can
it breaks my heart whenever is see all going well with an organization until new people get on board and mess things up in split seconds, a reputation that took time to attain,once lost may never be regained or might take longer. People trust your organization much more than you do
ps: organizations could also mean the little projects you are handling.
Thanks for staying till the end
