A company vision is a statement that summarizes the purpose of your company. The statement must inspire staff, instill confidence, and represent your business mission. The process of creating a company vision can be straightforward, but it requires creativity, clarity of mind, and a willingness to take risks. There are three steps necessary to create a company vision: brainstorm about the business identity, identify key message and communicate the message.
The first step in brainstorming is to turn on your creative thinking process. Warm up with word association, kamikaze poetry, or brainteasers. Get together a group of creative people to help with the process. Move outside your comfort zone and do not be afraid to try new things.
It can be difficult to think of simple statements that summarize the business when you are deeply involved in the day-to-day operations. To begin, make a list of at least three main drivers. These drivers are the items that are the main activity sources each day.
Next, brainstorm on what you would like past clients to say about your firm. Define what is the highest praise for you and how important is customer feedback to the business. Then make a list of the harshest criticisms you have ever received on the firm.
Post these items on large sheets of paper and put them up on a large wall. Highlight all the verbs in yellow, and underline the adjectives in red. Evaluate the verbs and adjectives to learn more about how others view your company.
Create a draft vision statement. Make a list of bullet point statements that incorporate all the points in your brainstorming. Work with your creative and executive team to narrow down the statements to one or two sentences.
Ask your executive staff and select customers to review the statement and get their honest appraisal. A vision is meaningless unless is speaks to staff and customers. Create a focus group and review feedback on the company vision statement, making adjustments as necessary. Incorporate your vision statement into your firm's identity.
Have it posted in the entranceway to your offices. Place it prominently in all business publications. Repeat your vision statement in communications to staff and customers alike. Use the statement to reinforce the mission of the business. Evaluate new ideas and projects in terms of adherence to the company vision.
