What’s the Difference between Mission and Vision?
At Ellevated Outcomes you’ll often here us say that we “Grow small businesses with integrity.” To some people (the right people, dare I say), that word integrity resonates deeply.
Integrity is simple; yet it can be complex. My personal opinion is that the answer to “what does integrity mean for our business?” (or for me, as a person?) should be defined uniquely for each and every business. Because if we’re going to grow you “with integrity,” we need to know who you are, what you stand for, and who you serve. Perhaps more importantly: we need to know who you are not, what you won’t tolerate, and who you’re not equipped to serve.
Therefore, when a company hires us, our process starts at the very beginning: establish the mission and vision. To many people, this feels squishy at first blush. But once we get into it, they realize that the work to pull together a mission and vision that’s strong, memorable, and inspiring is anything but.
We talked about mission last month, when we were setting priorities to focus through the holidays. So let’s jump right in.
A mission is
measurable, inspirational, and realistic.
It’s current. It focuses on the next 1-3 years, and it’s practical, answering:
- What do you do?
- For whom?
- How?
As you know, I try to be an open book about Ellevated Outcomes, so I’m happy to share our mission, if you’d like to know…
We grow small businesses – with personalized advice, objective facts, and accountability.
Our clients leave every interaction from us feeling seen and heard as business owners and as humans.
On the other hand, a vision is
…loftier. More aspirational. Even more inspirational. It’s about the future of your company. Beyond three years. Heck, beyond five years.
Another way I like to think about the vision is, “How do we want to be perceived? How do we want people talking about us five or ten years from now?”
Here’s what I see for Ellevated Outcomes:
Ellevated Outcomes is the most sought-after adviser and resource for small businesses, who contribute to the economy with intention.
Perhaps you’re thinking: that’s it?
Yep, that’s it. Simple? Yes.
Easy to execute? Not a chance.
Next Steps:
If you’re ready to give this a go, starting with a blank sheet of paper is hard! Trying to do with with the inputs of your brain only is even harder.
So when I’m working with clients, I ask a ton of questions to draw out what’s already inside their head or business operations. We start with smaller, instance questions, rather than bluntly asking: “What’s your mission?”
Here are five prompts to jump start your head and heart:
- What does your business do for the clients and customers you serve?
- Who are your clients and customers? Who are not?
- What do you believe the core purpose of your work is?
- How do you picture your business in ten years? How does it look and act?
- What is it about what you do that fulfills you personally?
If you want to create or iterate on the mission and vision for your company – or your life – start here. The initial brainstorming will take time. Work on it for a week or so. Produce a draft, then pull out your red pen. Rinse and repeat. Take it to the 80% point, where you feel good about it and think that it’s solid. Then, go out and test the language with the world. See what vocabulary resonates (and what doesn’t) with you, your team, and your customers.
Then, meet me back here in a few weeks to talk about establishing company values. Ultimately, this will be how you’re sure to fulfill your mission and vision in a way that helps you stand out from the pack.
Lastly, a little housekeeping… During 2019, I’ll be writing about two posts / month. The idea is quality over quantity, as these take me a lot of time (I’m a 5+ draft kinda woman, haha). One monthly post will be regularly scheduled programming, and the other – like today’s – will be content that is the building blocks of my class Building Your Business Plan. I’ll tag it with that name, and eventually, you can string the full curriculum together to create or refine your own business plan. I hope that this is helpful!
