Vision Statement

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a document that outlines the big-picture objectives of what a company stands for and how they want to make an impact. A company regularly revisits this document to ensure its strategic plan aligns with its overarching vision.

A vision statement is clear and concise, usually one to three sentences long. It should reflect the company’s values and mission, serving as an inspiration and target for employees. 

Founders and executives use strategic planning software to create their vision and mission statements and plan to achieve those objectives. The software breaks big goals into achievable milestones and shows the user how they’re progressing toward accomplishing them.

Vision Statement Software

Software that mention vision statement as a feature or term.

Google Workspace

Orange Logic: Orange DAM

ChurnZero

AR Business Card

Coda

Basic elements of a vision statement

While companies often publish their vision statements online for a general audience, their target audience is internal employees. While vision statements vary from company to company, most are:

• Inspiring. A vision statement typically has a motivational or aspirational tone designed to elicit action from all employees, from C-suite executives to part-time staff.
• Clear and concise. Since a wide variety of people read the vision statement, it’s typically free of jargon and easy to understand. Most are also lean to pack more meaning into fewer words.
• Future-oriented. A company writes its vision statement with the next five to 10 years in mind. It often describes the company’s goal state that employees should strive to fulfill.
• Reflective of company values. A vision statement needs to align with the company’s core values. For example, if a company’s core value is environmentalism, the vision statement should state how it aims to protect the planet and its resources.

Benefits of a vision statement

With a specific and compelling vision statement, companies can achieve clarity and make progress toward their goals. By providing the overarching objectives companies mean to accomplish, vision statements can:

• Aid in strategic planning. Organizations use their vision statements to guide them through tough decisions. When in doubt, they return to the statement and ask themselves which choice best aligns with their long-term goals.
• Match the company with the right clients. If a company posts its vision statement on its website, it helps leads determine if they’re a good fit. While the vision statement might repel some prospects, it should attract leads with similar values and goals.
• Guide company culture. A vision statement provides an ideal state that all employees work together to attain. This fosters a feeling of unity among employees and helps guide the creation of a company culture driven by shared values.

Vision statement best practices

Creating a vision statement may seem simple since it’s only a few sentences long. But this short piece of writing guides big business decisions, so companies should take the time to craft an impactful, inspiring, and meaningful statement.

• Make it a team effort. A vision statement is universal and unifying across an organization. To ensure that the statement reflects diverse perspectives, companies should create a team of leaders from various departments to contribute to its development. 
• Write in the present tense. Since a vision statement is future-focused, it may seem like a company should write it in future tense. However, a vision statement is usually written in present tense to reflect the company’s “now” in addition to its future. Plus, present tense represents a clearer and simpler verb tense form.
• Avoid generalities. Vision statements are high-level, but that doesn’t have to mean superficial. A vague vision statement won’t help a company further its goals or make decisions. Companies should incorporate their core values and convey their unique objectives. By using specific language, organizations also reduce the chance that people will misconstrue the document in the years to come.

Vision statement vs. mission statement

Companies usually have both a vision and a mission statement. These two documents are commonly confused because the words “vision” and “mission” are similar, and they’re both one to three sentences in length.

A vision statement describes the overarching state the company hopes to achieve in the future. For example, a company might try to “ensure that all people have access to healthful and nutritious foods to improve their quality of life.”

A mission statement clarifies what the company is doing to achieve the ideal state presented in the vision statement. It explains what the company does, whom it serves, and how it helps them. For example, a company might “deliver fresh fruits and vegetables each week to families in every neighborhood in the city of Boston.”

Learn more about corporate culture and how the right vision statement can make an impact.