Vision

It is vital that you have a vision, and that you communicate your vision clearly, in your actions as well as your words. How many organizations have you been a part of whose mission statements were just a bunch of words that had nothing to do with you?

The purpose of vision/mission statements is to create culture. Your goal is to make your employees think the way that you think so that, when you're not around, they still act the way that you want them to.

When it's time to define what your organization is and does, don't go all namby-pamby about mission statements and vision statements that use weak, oatmeal-flavored words that don't actually say anything. To embed themselves in your corporate culture, your vision must inspire your employees. Everything that you think, say, and do must constantly refer back to that vision.

Take a look at these:

Example #1
Our goal is to provide value-added services to our defined customer base in order to maximize revenues and return outstanding shareholder value within the parameters of our core competencies. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors with a superior value proposition that is both customer-focused and profitable.

Example #2
We are the greatest company in the world. We live and breathe that every minute of our lives, in everything we think, say, and do. We crush our enemies by thinking, acting, and producing so far beyond their pathetic abilities that they gnash their teeth and take their own lives.

Which company do you want to work for?