Visions drive action — how convincing are your vision statements?

The importance of visions is often underestimated, but they can make a fundamental contribution to the success of a company. Visions are idealized ideas of what a company should look like in the future. But they are much more than that: they drive action and provide the framework for all strategic planning. They show what is possible and what we need to fight for together. They provide management and employees with valuable guidance for strategic and operational decisions. At the same time, they support future-oriented thinking and proactive planning — both important management skills. Visions swear company management and employees to a common goal and make them pull together. They have a motivating and identity-creating effect by giving employees the deeper meaning and purpose of their work. Last but not least, they are inspiring and promote creativity and innovative thinking in the company.

Formulating a vision statement that fully meets these high standards is no easy task. Here are a few tips that can help you accomplish this task:

• The vision statement should build on the company's history, philosophy, core competencies, strengths, and particular capabilities. Ask yourself what your company stands for and how it stands apart from the competition. What makes your company unique? A good example of this is Vision statement from Merck, which clearly refers to the company's know-how:
  “Our vision is to make a difference in the lives of people globally through our innovative medicines, vaccines, biological therapies, consumer health and animal products. We aspire to be the best healthcare company in the world and are dedicated to providing leading innovations and solutions for tomorrow.”
• Think about what you want your business to look like in 5 to 10 years. What do you want to achieve during this period? What are your dreams and hopes for the future? The vision should be daring yet achievable. If the goals are unrealistic, they can have a frustrating effect on everyone involved and have a negative impact on corporate morale. If, on the other hand, the goals are set too low, they no longer represent a challenge and the hoped-for motivational, inspirational and mobilization function is lost. The vision should therefore be realistic enough for people to believe that it is achievable, but idealistic enough so that it cannot be realized without enormous efforts on the part of everyone.
• Use passionate language. Try to create a mental image that is emotionally charged and that inspires and inspires.
• The length of a vision statement can vary significantly from company to company. Some consist of just a single sentence or a short paragraph, while others are more detailed and spread over several paragraphs. There are no fixed rules. However, in order to increase the efficiency of the vision statement, it is generally advisable to summarize the essence of the vision in a kind of slogan. This powerful, easy-to-understand and memorable phrase should be right at the start so that it can act as a hook for the rest of the vision statement. A much-cited example of this is the vision statement from Microsoft's early days:
  “A personal computer in every home running Microsoft software.”
  BMW's slogan “For the joy of driving” also sums everything up wonderfully.
• Bring that Committment express your company to stakeholders Vision statements that emphasize, for example, the highest level of customer satisfaction or employee motivation have a particularly attractive effect on the respective interest groups addressed. A good example of this is Amazon's vision statement:
  “Our vision is to be Earth's most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”
• Write in the present tense. Just as if you were reporting what is already a reality. As a result, your vision statement has normative force.
• Involve your employees Ask them for advice and ask them about their ideas about the future and what is important to them about their work and the company.
• Last but not least: Don't forget to communicate the vision! And regularly! Explain the vision to your employees! Because only if the vision is supported by everyone can it become part of the corporate culture.

Vision statements have been very popular in the USA for a long time and German companies are also beginning to articulate and communicate their visions more and more. Do the same with them! But remember: It is the companies that are preparing to reach for the stars that are globally successful. If your vision is modest, your success will, in the best case scenario, only ever be modest.

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sources

Collins, J.C., & Porras, J.I. (1996). Building your company's vision. Harvard Business Review (September-October), 65-77.

Kouzes, M., & Posner, B.Z. (1996). Envisioning your future: Imaging ideal scenarios. The Futurist (May-June), 14-19.

Simon, H., & Gathen, A. v. d. (2002). The big handbook of strategy tools: tools for successful corporate management. Frankfurt: Campus. P. 15-23.