A vision statement shows what a company’s goals and agendas are in the long-run (generally their five or ten year plan). It portrays a dream of what the company hopes to achieve and where it will stand in the near future. Vision statements define a direction according to which the planning and implementation of corporate-level strategies take place.

Framing the right vision statement is hard as many a time it looks like a road map for a company’s future success. First things first. One of the most important steps of creating a vision statement is to let one’s dreams go wild. After that, comes the following 7 steps that will take you closer to creating the most impactful vision statement ever:

  1. Have an idea of your goals:   Fixing goals for your company is an art in itself. Half of a brand’s success lies on how the goals have been fixed. This process doesn’t just include the end product but also the steps that will help you accomplish them. You have to segregate your strategy from the endgame as compartmentalizing is the key. Also, vision statement is not the same as your company’s mission statement or strategy.
  1. Jotting down the values your company believes in: Defining your company’s values is a prerequisite for creating an effective vision statement. It can be simple, singular words “design” and “communication” or slightly longer phrases like “education for everyone” or “healthcare is a right not a luxury”. Your current values might differ from what you have envisioned for your company in the long run. You need to have a clear idea of what you want from your brand and where do you want to see it reach in the upcoming years. When you have successfully sketched the ethics by which you want to conduct business, compare them with your goals. Now you have to find a balance between your goals and work ethics. The better they complement each other, the bigger your business will get.
  1. Have a time frame in mind: Though your vision statement deals with your company’s future, it does not mean you should look into it without having a specific time period in mind. See a time frame by which you want to accomplish your goals. This even applies to the ambiguous parts of your vision and not just the concrete ones. The intersection of your vision and goals requires a time period. Set deadlines for your small milestones and all of these will climax into your long term goal.
  1. Think ahead: Having some idea of what your industry’s landscape is going to be in the near future and framing your vision statement accordingly is mandatory. The key is to write a vision statement that is both sustainable and scalable. A vision statement that doesn’t coincide with rapid growth and technological advancement always has the risk of holding back your business from reaching its fullest potential.
  1. Simplicity is the best policy: The simpler your vision statement is the easier it is for everyone to understand. This is one of the ways you can reach the masses. It is difficult to adhere to the principles mentioned in your vision statement if it is overly complicated.

A complicated vision statement is symptomatic of a company trying to run in multiple directions, thus being able to achieve very little. Consider what parts of your vision statement is absolutely necessary and discard the rest.

Each of the steps mentioned here will help you break down your big ideas for the convenience of your staff members. All these have been designed to materialize your vision into a reality. Drafting a vision statement is the first step to living it.

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