Vision, Mission, Values

There seems to be a lot of confusion about vision and mission statements, what each is for, and how they should be structured. I honestly could not find a canonical definition for either. So, I wrote my own. Values are equally as important, so I've included them here, too.

Vision

A vision statement should be an inspirational postcard from an aspirational future. It should be brief. It should paint a picture. And it should make you wish you were there!

A great example is Microsoft's 1980s vision statement:

A computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software.

Mission

A mission statement describes an organization's reason for being. These statements often take the structure of, "to do X." The "to" at the beginning of the phrase is a dead giveaway that you're reading a mission statement.

The American Red Cross mission statement is a great example of this:

To prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors.​

Values

While a vision statement should be aspirational, values should be intrinsic to an organization's culture so that they may guide every decision made whilst executing the mission on the way to realizing the vision.

Avoid trite values, like "integrity, honesty, and grit." While these are all fine attributes. The nouns alone are inert. I much prefer active values. Values that command you to behave a certain way. My favorite values are the former Cisco Meraki values:

Everybody In
Care Deeply
Simplify Everything
Be Brave