Are your mission, vision, and values aligned with your business?
In this article, we will explain why mission, vision, and values are considered key factors in driving your business strategy.
Every company has a vision, mission, and set of values that they strive to uphold.
Unfortunately, for some, these are just a set of words on the website that don't really mean anything. It’s all over the place and unaligned or in some cases only exists in the CEO’s head.
For most, the vision, mission, and values are the driving force behind everything they do. It is clear to everyone in the company what the vision is and everyone is working towards that common goal and are on the same journey.
The vision is where do you want your company to go.
The mission is understood by all and guides the day-to-day decision making. Simply put, defining why you are doing what you are doing.
The values are more than just words on a page, they are ingrained in the culture and how everyone in the company behaves. It provides a clear foundation to build the businesses strategy on. How will you achieve this?
So what’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think of your company’s vision, mission, and values?
Does your company strive to work for the vision, clearly understand the mission, and live by your values, or are they just words up on your website?
When considering the mission, vision and values of the business, it is important to think of the process as getting your team on a bus.
The following three questions will help to ensure that the mission, vision and values are driving the strategy:
Mission: Why do we need to get on the bus?
Would you ride a bus not knowing why you need to get on the bus? No.
It is important that people understand why they are getting on the bus.
Who are your passengers? Your passengers are your staff/employees, customers/clients – basically anyone who you serve through your business or solve their problems.
The mission statement is like the roadmap to success.
It defines why you're in business, what problems your company solves and how it plans on solving them – all without sacrificing clarity of direction or motivation.
The mission provides the framework of how we will get there and how we will execute the strategy.
Vision: Where is the bus going?
It is crucial that all staff/employees and clients/customers clearly understand where the business is aiming to go, to help ensure they are making strategic decisions and that their efforts are aligned with the business goals.
The vision statement defines where the organisation wants to be in the future, the bus's final destination. You wouldn’t hop on a bus without knowing where it was headed, right? The same can be said for strategy.
Winning vision statements are logically connected to the mission as they created the foundation of the ‘why’ and the ‘where’.
If you start your strategic planning process with a lucid mission and vision, you are heading in the right direction.
If not, you are basically trying to build a house without foundations because no matter how hard you try it’s just not going to work. Without strong foundations, you’ll end up with the need to reassess and replan your strategy down the track.
The vision of the business should be clear and focused, with everyone working towards the same goal.
Values: How will we get there?
Now what are the rules on the road?
The core values of an organisation are a reflection of their ethics and principles. They dictate what the organisation stands for and how they go about achieving their goals. By deliberately instilling these values in their practices, they ensure that everyone is working towards the same goal.
This creates a strong sense of purpose within the organisation and serves as a powerful tool to motivate and inspire employees. Furthermore, by living and working by their values, organisations set themselves apart from their competitors and build trust with stakeholders. As such, it is evident that core values are essential for any successful organisation.
Now ask yourself this: is this supporting our values as an organisation? If the answer is no, then it’s not going to be a priority.
By having a clear set of values, we can create a cascade of behaviours that will help us achieve our strategic goals. Our values should also be reflected in the way we interact with our customers, clients and other staff members. We need to be sure that they understand what we stand for and what we believe in. Only by being true to our values can we hope to achieve success.
***
Answering these three questions will help to ensure that the mission, vision, and values are aligned with the strategy, and that everyone is working towards the same goal. By getting everyone on board early, you can avoid any bumps in the road and ensure a smooth journey towards success.
Do you require mapping your strategic planning or in need of reassessing your current company vision, mission, and values? Our team at Harissa Business Partners are always here to assist you and can develop or review your existing strategy whether that be company strategy or People Strategy. We can also help inspire and engage the broader team to ensure everyone is traveling on the same bus in the right direction. Talk to our team today.
