Creating a Vision Statement Page 1 of 3 Creating a Vision Statement: This statement is inspirational, a mental, emotional, and physical image of what the organization will become. It is the essence of what we will create and sustain together, and a catalyst to excite and energize the team. This statement, especially when posted, helps all members of an organization to focus and prioritize our actions in order to realize our mission and goals. It has been described as the art of seeing the invisible and assists us in making our mission clear to everyone we serve.
Goals: To develop a statement that is specific, realistic, compelling, credible, and communicable and focused on the customer. Group Size: Preferably the executive group, approximately 3 – 8 team members. Some organizations choose to involve the board at this point, others do the work and present to the board. Some organizations have some members of the board join, along with some members of the executive team and then present the vision to those not present. Time Required: Set aside 2, 4, or 6 hour increments. Materials: Flip chart paper with easel Paper and pens for individuals 3 x 5 sticky notes. Physical Setting: A quiet setting where participants won’t be disturbed. Process: 1. Group preparation is important when beginning the vision statement exercise. You can have the participants (especially if you have board members) read an inspiring article about the future of X organization, or request that they review your most recent organizational report, statistics, or financials. Each team leader can share highlights of the past year and any challenges that they currently face. Keep in mind that although there might be other business that you need to discuss, it is important to stick to the planned agenda. 2. The leader or facilitator spends time explaining what a vision statement is and the importance of creating it now. Offer a few examples of vision statements and see if others can identify the companies. For example: Nearly 300 brands you know and trust. (Proctor & Gamble) Expect more pay less. (Target) Always low prices. Always (Wal-Mart) The trusted name in personal banking. (US Bank) Your world. Delivered. (AT&T) A computer on every desk and in every home. (Microsoft) To refresh the world. (Coca Cola) You can do it. We can help. (Home Depot)
Launching New Leaders
Joyce Sjoberg Sharon Stack (503) 235-4616 / (503) 780-1482 (704) 739-2371 (ext. 1678) / (704) 734 - 4535 jsjoberg@spiritone.com sstack@carolina.rr.com
Creating a Vision Statement Page 2 of 3 Others that are local to your organization
3. Then choose 6 questions from the following list to use for initial brainstorming. Have the facilitator write responses on the flip chart. What current problems are we dealing with? What issues will we need to address in the future? What are we doing well? What aren’t we doing well? What do we need to improve? What measurements do we use that give us good information about our performance? What measurements could we be using to give us better information? What aren’t we doing that we should consider? What kind of training should we be offering? To our employees? To our customers? What are our customers going to ask for in the future? What resources or time are we wasting on processes from the past? Have we learned anything new from a customer complaint that might create a new innovation or service? How can we involve customers more in the future? How do we currently define our culture? How might we define the culture of the future? What do our employees say about this organization? What do we want them to say in the future? What are we doing to encourage learning and creativity? How can we involve employees more in the future? Are employees familiar with our product and services? What is our future competition likely to look like? What current and future trends should we be responding to? What gaps need to be filled? What risks are worth taking? What are our priorities? Other questions you want to ask include here. 4. Then ask the participants to capture 6 of their concerns, ideas, or suggestions (one per sticky note) on a sticky note and have them put up on a new flip chart. Then arrange each note into groups of similar topics. Possible topics might be: customers, technology, facilities, resources, services, etc. 5. 4 – 6 topics will emerge at this time from the sticky note grouping. Find a word that encompasses the ideas and suggestions in each group and place this onto a Fishbone Diagram.* 6. Ask the group to write a sentence that incorporates all the ideas from each group. The group can do this individually or together. One example sentence might be:
Launching New Leaders
Joyce Sjoberg Sharon Stack (503) 235-4616 / (503) 780-1482 (704) 739-2371 (ext. 1678) / (704) 734 - 4535 jsjoberg@spiritone.com sstack@carolina.rr.com
Creating a Vision Statement Page 3 of 3 To research the newest technology facing safe and ergonomic customer service equipment and propose new strategies ahead of budget planning cycle. Once it is re-written it might read, “We build it, you plug into it.” 7. It is always a wise choice to be prepared for any dialogue that results in difficult conversations amongst all participants. Vision statements are meant to clearly state direction, focus, and prioritize, which can be difficult for some members to assimilate if they hear that the groups they work with might be diminishing. Organizations that have been functioning without vision statements might be resistant to creating a statement because of their fears of the unknown and the future. Keeping these issues in mind can also help you select earlier preparatory material. Evaluation: In 6 or 12 months are you closer to the vision you have described than you were before?
* Brassard, Michael, Ritter, Diane, Memory Jogger II, A Pocket Guide of Tools for Continuous Improvement and Project Planning, GOAL/QPC, New York, 1994.
Launching New Leaders
Joyce Sjoberg Sharon Stack (503) 235-4616 / (503) 780-1482 (704) 739-2371 (ext. 1678) / (704) 734 - 4535 jsjoberg@spiritone.com sstack@carolina.rr.com