How can you create flexible vision and mission statements?

1 Start with the why

Before you craft or update your vision and mission statements, you need to have a clear understanding of why your organization exists and what impact you want to make in the world. This is the core of your identity and the foundation of your strategy. To find your why, you can ask yourself and your stakeholders questions like: What problem are you solving? What value are you creating? What difference are you making? What inspires you to do what you do?

2 Use simple and concise language

Your vision and mission statements should be easy to understand, remember, and communicate. Avoid using jargon, buzzwords, or vague terms that may confuse or alienate your audience. Instead, use simple and concise language that expresses your essence and your aspiration. For example, TED's vision statement is "Spread ideas", and its mission statement is "We believe passionately in the power of ideas to change attitudes, lives and, ultimately, the world."

3 Focus on the what and the how

Your vision statement should describe what you want to achieve in the long term, while your mission statement should explain how you plan to achieve it in the short term. Your vision should be ambitious, inspiring, and future-oriented, while your mission should be realistic, actionable, and present-oriented. For example, Amazon's vision statement is "To be Earth's most customer-centric company", and its mission statement is "To continually raise the bar of the customer experience by using the internet and technology to help consumers find, discover and buy anything, and empower businesses and content creators to maximise their success."

4 Involve your team and stakeholders

Your vision and mission statements should reflect the collective input and feedback of your team and stakeholders, such as customers, partners, suppliers, investors, and community. By involving them in the creation or revision process, you can ensure that your statements are relevant, aligned, and engaging for everyone. You can use methods such as surveys, interviews, workshops, brainstorming, or voting to gather and analyze their opinions and suggestions.

5 Review and revise regularly

Your vision and mission statements are not set in stone. They should be reviewed and revised regularly to keep up with the changing internal and external factors that may affect your organization. You should monitor and evaluate your performance, progress, and impact against your statements, and identify any gaps, challenges, or opportunities that may require adjustments. You should also communicate any changes to your team and stakeholders, and explain the reasons and benefits behind them.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?