Aligning Mission, Vision & Goals

Many organizations fail to align their mission, vision, goals and strategies.  Most often this is because each of these documents are created or revised in isolation of the others.  Or perhaps, mission, vision, goals and strategies are something that are looked at once per year, and then successfully avoided until the following year.

The first task when dealing with mission, vision, goals and strategies is to have a clear definition of each:

What is a Mission?

When writing your mission, vision, goals and strategies, the mission statement is your foundational document:

• A well-crafted mission articulates why you exist as an organization.
• Answers the question, “Why are you here?”
• Describes what the organization does in clear terms
• Describes the purpose of the organization, product, or service
• Your mission does not generally change over time.

What is a Vision

Of the mission, vision, goals and strategy document, the vision is the one that should provide inspiration:

• Paints a clear and compelling view of the future.
• Answers the question, “Where are we headed?”
• It must motivate, be ambitious and stretch people.

Strategies

Strategies provide a pragmatic roadmap of how mission, vision, and goals will be accomplished over time:

• Explain how the business will be successful over time
• How the company will compete
• How the organization will differentiate
• What markets will be served.
• What opportunities and strengths will be leveraged

Goals & Objectives

Goals and objectives are the building blocks of achieving the mission and vision:

• Goals are directly related to vision, mission & strategies
• Goals measure progress towards achieving vision, mission & strategies
• Objectives are the plan or stepping stones towards the achievement of a goal

Alignment & Sustainment Plan

It is not enough to simply articulate your mission, vision, goals and strategies.  You need to do something about it.  Unfortunately, this is where many organizations fail.

• Once you plan what you need to do, you need the discipline to follow through on that plan.
• What actions will be taken?  By whom? By when?
• How will you hold people accountable?
• How will you reinforce and reward?

3 Things to Remember

1. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.  Many organizations spend a ridiculous amount of time writing their mission, vision, goals and strategies.  Sometimes, a few words on a single page can be far more effective.
2. Any plan is useless unless you execute it.  Don’t bother to write your mission, vision, goals and strategies unless you intend to do something about it.
3. Your documents should be “alive”.  Don’t file them away, and dust them off once per year.  If you are using these tools wisely, you will use them to guide your activities throughout the year.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about aligning Mission, Vision & Goals (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

Get the Complete ‘Strategy Starter Kit’:

Get instant access to the complete Strategy Starter Kit…