and communicate the image of the ideal state of the organization’s future.
Vision Statements have multiple purposes: they must inspire, engage, motivate, and drive people working within the organization.
It must stimulate their imaginations and create exciting dreams of cooperation toward a goal. A tedious ,ordinary Vision Statement is useless even if the content may capture the idea of the future plans. If it fails to mobilize and excite people, it is not a good Vision Statement.
Creativity and a belief in intangible goals and dreams are qualities needed to craft a viable Vision Statement. The idea is to draw the invisible in a vivid picture of words.
Once such Vision Statement has been established, it will serve as a high-level guide, pointing employees toward the future of the company.
It is like flying an airplane in which the pilot, crew and air controller know the final destination. They are all focused on completing their jobs, with the ultimate goal being a safe and timely arrival. A good Vision Statement must be realistic enough to grasp and accept, but unlike the plane, it must also create within the organization the desire to go the impossible extra mile. If the vision can excite people, they will also believe in the impossible.
The Vision Statement can be the most difficult – but also the most exciting – organizational message to develop. It must be very concise and still carry the meaning of thousand words. There is no fixed or suggested format for Vision Statements. They can fill books or be expressed in a single word. It is the positive spirit embedded in the message which must be carried and spread. The following characteristics, some of them implicit, are imperative in the content of a good Vision Statement.
Future state
The Vision Statement must describe the desired state of the organization in the far future.
The reader of the statement should be able to understand how this idealistic, future picture of the organization. As such, the description refers to the evolution of the company into the future, not the actual situation right now. The Vision Statement must contain clear goals to reach the future incarnation of the
company, goals on which everyone can focus
.
Desire
The attitude of desire should be the driving force in a Vision Statement. People have to sense that there is willpower and determination behind the message. The author of the Vision Statement must convince the reader that the aspiration to reach the vision goals leaves no compromise and is an obligation.
Confidence
The Vision Statement shall stretch future goals, describe impossible achievements, and draw a picture of a future state which most do not even dare to imagine. The organization’s leader’s confidence must resonate with every reader, and the readers have to be convinced that there is true conviction in the statement.
If the message is half-hearted, people will not be engaged; they will shrug it off as just more wishful thinking. Words such a should and would are strictly banned. Strong and engaging verbs must convey the message with confidence. The statement must also demonstrate the confidence that the organization’s leaders have in the members or employees. It must show their trust that the people involved are worthy of the quest.
A clear visions statement uses candid descriptions which reflect its true meaning, and it refrains from statements intended only please others. The Vision Statement addresses the correct audience – the people who are important and relevant to the company’s journey towards success.
Time
While Vision Statements point to the far future, they should not envision the state of the organization as an eternal entity. It should be a time period where each person can visualize taking part in the achievement. Some experts recommend indicating the time frame of a Vision Statement. However, we believe that it can be implied and left to the imagination. A good Vision Statement suggests to the reader whether the vision is achievable in the near or far future.
The dynamic of the business operation and the ambition of the leadership are what determine and communicate the time frame of the imaginary future
.
Shared Values
Values can be an independent statement, but often they are also incorporated in a Vision Statement in one way or another. Shared values refer to principles that guide actions. It must be clear that members of the organization do not deviate from this path regardless either external or internal influences. Values are points of view which are central and firm, even if the company is penalized by holding up to them. If such values are communicated, it must be made clear that all people involved with the organization are expected to share them unconditionally and use those values to guide their actions to reach the vision’s goals accordingly.
Vivid Language
Vision Statements must be emotional, inspiring and enthusiastic. Plain and formal language will not create the charisma that a Vision Statement must demonstrate: that is, it has to produce a colorful and bright picture. Vision Statements must have strength in future’s state.
