5 Vision Statement Examples

Take a moment to think of a business you frequent on a regular basis or a company you follow on social media.

No matter what type of business or company it is, you can be sure they have set goals they are striving to reach and a target market or audience they are aiming to serve.

This information is what encapsulates a vision statement.

To put it simply, a vision statement reveals what a company hopes to achieve and what they are setting out to accomplish.

Why Does It Matter?

It might seem silly to create a vision statement as a brand when the merchandise you are selling or the service you are providing could speak for you – but it does matter.

A clear vision statement creates an impact by telling stakeholders, employees, and customers alike what your purpose is as a business.

In fact, research has shown that employees who find value in an organization’s vision statement feel more engaged overall, which leads to more productivity and higher morale.

On the other end of the spectrum, employees who do not find value in their organization’s vision statement have lower engagement scores.

They also were found to not care about the future of the company and were not willing to go above and beyond their daily job requirements.

This makes it worth taking extra time to think about your brand, your business, and what you would like to the future to hold.

What Makes a Meaningful Vision Statement?

There are several elements that go into creating an impactful vision statement and will ensure it comes across as clear and concise.

A few examples of these are as follows:

1. Motivating

When you are thinking about your vision statement, ask yourself if it will be motivating to the company’s employees. It should tell a story about where you would like to go as a company and how you are hoping to work with your team to get there.

2. Communicate Effectively

You want to ensure that when people think about your company, they know where your heart lies. It is also important to ensure that the people you employ are on board and that they will be able to understand the vision statement and put it into practice each day.

3. Innovation

While a vision statement should be realistic, it should also have an optimistic and positive approach to the future. It should include ideas for what the future might hold and should not be too old-fashioned in its approach.

4. Trustworthy Leadership

When people do not trust the leaders within an organization, they are not likely to believe what they state in a vision statement. Leaders can help build trust by being open, honest, and direct with everyone – even if it is regarding bad news.

5. Give the People What They Want

If customers notice that companies do not respond to their concerns and questions or that they never listen to feedback, it will sway their opinion of the brand in a negative way. Be sure to listen to what your customers are telling you and take action to make things right.

Vision Statement vs. Mission Statement

When you are brainstorming ideas or browsing vision statement examples, it is important not to get it confused with a mission statement.

A mission statement is based on a current status of the organization and works to convey a sense of why the company exists and what the company is working on right now.

A vision statement is based on the future and is about where your company is going and how they would like to get there.

While both are crucial components to any business, a vision statement is always the light shining at the end of the path, pushing you to move forward and working further towards it.

Vision Statement Examples and Quick Tips

It may seem overwhelming to sit down and write out your business’s future, but it does not have to be.

Remember how we mentioned that every company or organization has a vision statement?

It can be helpful to evaluate these vision statements to see how they bring it all together and work towards their goals.

Here are 5 Vision Statement Examples:

1. Southwest Airlines

“To become the world’s most loved, most flown, and most profitable airline.”

This vision statement covers all aspects by showing that they want people to fly their airline, but they also want them to enjoy it and love the experience.

2. IKEA

“Our vision is to create a better everyday life for many people.”

This vision statement is clear and to the point and conveys the message that through all the products and services they offer, people will have a better everyday experience.

3. Nike

“To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.”

(*Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman says that “If you have a body, you are an athlete.”)

This includes people of all backgrounds and displays that they want to help everyone find their perfect pair of shoes.

4. Nerdster

“To be a nerd for all your needs.”

This is catchy and memorable, while being pleasant and to the point.

5. Alzheimer’s Association

https://youtu.be/bHuk-13Ha1M

“A world without Alzheimer’s disease.”

This vision statement has a heart and shows that their mission is to do everything they can to fight the disease.

Here are a few things to remember:

• Think about your core beliefs and what you are hoping to achieve. – what are you passionate about?
• Keep it short and sweet. – no more than one to three sentences. You can go further in depth on it in a different section, but your primary vision statement should be easy to read and should flow nicely.
• Make it more than a catchy phrase. – it should be memorable, but not too catchy.
• Review both long and short-term goals. – think about the success of your company. It might be easier to break out your vision statement into various short-term goals that will be working towards long-term goals.
• Keep it innovative. – what can you do as a business that no one else has done?
• Dream BIG. – there is nothing wrong with creating a vision statement that is bold or daring.
• Create a plan to communicate your vision statement with your employees. – this is essential because they are the ones who will be working with you to achieve your goals.

Put It into Practice

Now that we have covered the basics, here are some steps to piece it all together:

1. Be clear about what your company does.

Here, you want to remember to be output-focused, rather than input-focused and strive to think about what you want to create.

For example, a shoe company makes shoes on a daily basis, but their goal might be to help people around the world find the best-fitting, most comfortable pair of shoes for their lifestyle.

This might seem like an obvious process, but it is an important step.

2. Take the above outcome and find out what makes it unique to your organization.

Here, you want to find a unique spin on what your company creates.

Using our above shoe example, we know that we want to help people find the most comfortable pair of shoes for their lifestyle, but what makes us different than other shoe companies?

We could say that we use only the highest quality material and work with athletes and podiatrists to create the most functional and stylish shoes.

3. Quantify Your Goals.

We want to take the information above and create a quantifiable goal from it. This is what makes the vision statement attainable and measurable as a goal.

We could say: We want to help every person who comes to us looking for a comfortable, functional pair of shoes finds their ultimate fit and the perfect pair of shoes for their lifestyle.

4. Add a Relatable Aspect.

You want to help people visualize your goals by creating a mental picture of what your goals might look like in the real world.

For instance, we could add: We want to help everyone, from stay-at-home moms to professional athletes find their perfect fit and a most comfortable pair of shoes for their lifestyle, so they can get everything done.

Put It All Together

By crafting a clear and concise vision statement, you can help your customers, and stakeholders alike, see the value in your business and get onboard with what you are trying to achieve.

It is important to envision the future of your business because it can contribute to overall growth and help you find the best people to be part of the future.

When you make it clear where you want to go, you will often find that the right people will come along who have different and important aspects to contribute and bring ideas to life.

Once you have your vision statement in place, you can start taking the necessary steps to get where you want to be and can also begin building your branding.

Featured Image: CC0 Public Domain by mohamed_hassan via Pixabay