DECEMBER 6 2022
Corporate mission and vision: how to define them?
So, dear companies, has St. Nicholas come by? 🎁 At Apollo Strategists, he brought you good news: you’re on the right track to defining your corporate mission and vision. Yes, you know how to differentiate them. Our survey confirms it. Eighty-seven percent of you said it was LinkedIn’s mission, while only 13 percent thought it was the vision. You got it right: LinkedIn defines its mission as “Connecting professionals around the world to make them more successful and productive.” But, why? And how do you define your mission, vision and values?
The mission, or the reason for your company’s existence
The company mission is an internal and external communication tool. It motivates employees and gives them direction. The mission responds to a problem identified with potential customers and must be as ambitious as it is achievable and concrete. It defines what your company accomplishes and is thought out over the long term.
To help you define it, here are some questions to ask yourself:
- What problem(s) do my potential customers face?=
- How do I want to address them?
- Is the solution I want to bring to this/these problem(s) or need(s) the best way to respond?
Vision, or how to give your business a direction
As for its corporate vision, LinkedIn defines it as follows: Creating opportunities for professionals around the world.
The vision expresses a long-term goal and represents the ideal image of the company, it sets a challenge. It is defined by looking ahead to 5, 10, 15 or even 25 years from now. It must be realistic enough for all stakeholders to believe in it, and optimistic enough to be motivating and inspiring.
You have now defined your mission (why the company exists) and your vision (where it is going). Your company’s key values will follow from this; they represent the company culture and contain the desired principles of your company and represent them in a credible way. Mission, vision and values form the pillars of your strategy. It is then a matter of putting in place the actions and identifying the resources to be mobilised to achieve your objectives.
Apollo Strategists can help you define your company’s mission, vision and values.
Contact us!
Author: Jennifer Pierrard - Adapted into English by Natalia Núñez Bolaño
