9/11/2019 6 Great Vision Statements (reblog) – MetaRead360 Small Press presents

6 Great Vision Statements (reblog)

deWriterMD Reblogs 22 March 2019 3 Minutes

FEBRUARY 9, 2019

6 great vision statements – and their opposites

Blog author: Johannes Wigand

(Note: Google translation with a few changes from the German language blog, which has a mixture
of German and English text.)

Creating a vision statement that lives up to its name is not that easy. After all, it should be short,
get to the point and above all else: inspire.

What makes good vision statements can best be demonstrated through examples – both good and
bad. Therefore: Here are 6 great examples of vision statements and 6 examples showing how not to
do it be er.

(Here you will also find 6 great mission statements and their opposites.)

The Good: Here‘s what vision statements should be like

1. Alzheimer’s Association: “Our vision: A world without Alzheimer’s.”

Shorter, clearer and more inspiring is unlikely. A clear picture of the future that everyone can
understand and that motivates. Admi edly, nonprofits, which are inherently idealistic in nature,
are easier to do than companies. But that the la er can have great visions, Microsoft shows.

2. Microsoft (old vision): “A personal computer in every home running Microsoft software.”
Although not quite as idealistic, but rather “I-centered”, this vision is also crystal clear, big and at
the same time very concrete. Of course, a vision like this has to be changed over time, but at the

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9/11/2019 6 Great Vision Statements (reblog) – MetaRead360 Small Press presents

time of its creation, it was exactly what it should be: a clear picture of the future, which has
motivated Microsoft’s employees to achieve something tremendous.

3. Wikipedia: “Imagine a world in which every single person has a free share in the totality of knowledge.”
Wikipedia expresses directly in the wording of the statement what constitutes a good vision:
imagination.

4. IKEA: “To create a be er everyday life for the many people.”

Although it is a corporate vision, it is still very altruistic. Although one could assume IKEA here,
just to have created a good-sounding statement to get a nice image. But every one of the IKEA
knows that there is something here.

5. Walmart: “To become the worldwide leader in retailing.”

There is li le to add here.

6. charity: water: “charity: water believes we can end the water crisis in our lifetime by ensuring that
every person on the planet has access to life’s most basic needs – clean drinking water.”
Another example from the non-profit -World. Concrete and at the same time the emotions
appealing. Who does not get the urge to be part of the vision, at least a bit?

The Bad: Vision-Statements should not be this way

1. Macy’s: “Our vision is to drive Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s as dynamic national brands while focusing
on the customer offering in each store location.”
Obowhl Macy’s is a showcase example in many areas of the business world Area Corporate
Vision. On the one hand, the content is practically interchangeable (which company does not want
to act as a “dynamic brand”?), On the other hand, terms like “operate”, if in mission statements, do
not belong in a vision.

2. Siltronic: “Our vision : We develop intelligent solutions for sustainable growth.”

This statement shows even more clearly the confusion between vision and mission. And that it’s
way too general you realize that you do not even get the slightest clue as to which company it’s all
about.

3. Microsoft (penultimate vision): “Global diversity and inclusion is an integral and inherent part of
our culture, fueling our business growth while allowing us to a ract, develop, and retain this best talent, to
be more innovative in the products and services we develop in the way we solve problems, and in the way we
serve the needs of an increasingly global and diverse customer and partner base. “
so good was the old statement, so bad is the new. Of course, Microsoft has correctly recognized
that it needs a new vision. It’s just a pity that it became such a lengthy string of bullshit bingo
terms. Update: Microsoft has (again) a new vision .

4. BASF : “We are The Chemical Company and we are successful in all major markets.”
An example of a vision statement that expresses a competitive position rather than a true vision.

5. REWE: “The Best Performance – for Customers, Merchants, Employees.”

Just because you’re upholding top performance does not inspire anyone. This statement falls into
the category of values rather than vision. And what are the benefits? That would not be apparent
from this sentence.

6. Goodwill: “It’s not really bad, but it’s a li le too general,” we want to change everything around the
world “. As you can see, even non-profit organizations are not always easy with vision statements.

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Conclusion:
Even the corporate visions of many well-known players are not always at the point. Often, vision
and mission are confused or visions formulated too generally. The best inspire and draw a clear
picture of the future. Finally, we can learn from positive and negative examples how truly
meaningful vision statements should look like.

Original post: h ps://www.notabout.me/2014/03/11/6-grossartige-vision-statements-und-gegen-

beispiele/

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