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Vision and Mission:
What are they, and what should they do for me professionally?
By Bob Sutton

Vision is seeing into the future and knowing what state you want or need to be in. With that powerful image you put your energies into creating that future state.

In my research and work I have created my own personal visions for the future and helped organizations and individuals create theirs. What they all have in common are the following:

*	Short and concise
*	Radical and compelling (must be a stretch)
*	Come from the heart
*	Speaks to me/us because only I/we can accomplish this

I have seen visions that were about an individual changing how they were perceived in their organization to global domination of markets. The common thread to the successful ones is they met all of the factors above. The last requirement for a vision to work is for the actual statement to be written in the present tense as if it were already a reality. For example a coach of a professional football team may enter the job with the vision of "We are Super Bowl Champions". Putting the vision in the present tense creates tension because we are not there yet. We use that tension along with mission statements to act in ways to realize the vision.

Mission is how we accomplish the vision. These are statements that guide our actions each day toward accomplishing the vision. The coach of the team may then use the following mission statements to guide the journey:

*	We practice as we play; 110% all of the time
*	We correct mistakes the first time, measuring progress and taking immediate action
*	We all work to make the team better

Each action taken by every member of the organization can be evaluated against the mission statements. Mission statements help us to make decisions. Where the vision is radial and compelling, the mission statements ground us. The mission statements address the behaviors we must enact to be successful.

Vision and mission statements are best when created together by the people who will be enacting them making them shared vision and mission. This can be done effectively even in large organizations.

The vision and mission you have for yourself or your organization should be a working tool to keep you focused, directed and inspired. Vision and mission serve to keep us from one day waking up and finding ourselves wondering what we are doing, out of a job, with a physical condition we could have prevented, or losing business. Having our vision and mission allows us to take more control of our futures and to put our past behind us.

 

Bob Sutton operates The Avanti Group, where he acts as a as a change agent, program designer, facilitator and consultant. He has over 15 years of experience facilitating change in groups and individuals, focusing on strategic planning, management/leadership development at all levels, executive coaching, teaming designs and programs, culture change and related initiatives. Contact Bob at bob@avantiexcellence.com