Vision, mission and values: Get clarity on what you stand for and make it happen
Do you know how you’d like the world to be better in 2030?
It’s a big question, but a powerful one. Giving thought to what we stand for and why is highly valuable work. It's not always comfortable and often avoided, but it can bring about huge motivation, direction and support to your career.
Here’s a super quick masterclass on vision, mission and values which you can complete and start sharing for impact.
Vision
A vision is an imagined future. It’s often associated with being at a society or company level, but it can be a personal vision too.
Elon Musk sees a day when energy will be cheap, abundant and sustainable.
A HR leader has a vision that employees of the future work <30 hours a week
Someone might dream of one day being a full-time writer by the sea
How to develop it: Propel yourself 5 or 10 years forward, what would you like to see. How would it look exactly? What news headline or personal story would indicate your vision being a reality?
Mission
Think of the mission as your current strategy to support the vision. Ideally, it wants to be clear and specific - you could tell when it's been achieved or not.
Elon’s mission is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.
The HR leader is on a mission to move their company to a 4-day week.
The individual is on a mission to get a book deal.
How to develop it: Brainstorm potential milestones towards the vision, pick one, and craft a super-simple statement to define it. The shorter the better!
Values
These are the principles and ethics you live and work by day-to-day.
E.g. honesty, sustainability, integrity, growth, health, etc.
How to develop them: Look at how you currently make your decisions today for clues to what is already guiding you. Make a list of the words that resonate the most.