Get laser-focused about your vis

Your employees know what to do and how to do it. But do they know why they’re doing it? If you haven’t defined and shared your vision with your team, your work has no why. A shared vision is critical not just to your success but also to your longevity. Commitment to a shared vision can pull your team through challenges and transitions and guide tough decisions.

So what is vision exactly? Your vision is the future you’d like to see for your company. Formulated correctly, though, it also unifies your team, sets your mission, and informs your strategy.

The first component of vision is core beliefs. These are your company's values and principles. Whatever they are – innovation, a passion for quality, or dedication to customer service – they should be authentic. Your company’s core beliefs should also be your core beliefs, because as company leader, you need to live them.

From the foundation of your core beliefs, you can go on to establish the next component of your vision: purpose. Importantly, this shouldn’t be a finite goal but an ambition that opens up infinite possibilities. The purpose of Mary Kay Cosmetics is “To be a company that gives unlimited opportunities to women.” It’s an ambition that can be executed in an infinite number of ways.

The third element of vision is mission. You’ll use your purpose to define this. A mission is meant to be fulfilled, so it should be achievable and well-defined. It should inspire your team and your customers, too. Henry Ford stated his mission when he said, “We’re going to democratize the automobile.” Would he have been so successful if he’d said, “We’ll make and sell cars”? Probably not.

Your mission can set a target, like Walmart’s old mission, “To become a one billion dollar company by 1980.”

Or it can focus on a competitor, like Honda’s “We will crush, squash, slaughter Yamaha!” As you can see, there’s no need to hold back!

By establishing your core beliefs, using them to identify your purpose, and translating that purpose into achievable missions, you ensure both that your vision is put into action, and that your actions always reflect your vision.