In this topic, we focus on the need and important use of vision and mission statements along with developing core values for businesses. You will learn:
- What each mean and how they bring a sense of importance to their organisation
- How they are developed to send out a message and purpose to their clientele
- Explore some vision and mission statements along with core values from well-known organisations around the world.
Terminology and vocabulary reference guide
As an allied health professional, you need to be familiar with terms associated with basic exercise principles and use the terms correctly (and confidently) with clients, your colleagues, and other allied health professionals. You will be introduced to many terms and definitions. Add any unfamiliar terms to your own vocabulary reference guide.
Activities
There is an automated quiz at the end of the topic. This is not part of your assessment but will provide practical experience that will help you in your work and help you prepare for your formal assessment.
A vision statement expresses why you are in business and where your business is heading based on your goals and aspirations, the future vision for your business. It is there to inspire, energise and motivate you, your staff, and your customers. It also acts to differentiate your business from others.
A strong vision statement can set an agenda to achieve a goal. It describes your business’ purpose, what your business does, why your business does what it does as well as who it does it for. This helps establish a target audience and communicates a message to clients that they are important.
Your vision statement is a gateway to your business and will provide clients a glimpse of what they will be exposed to if they chose to work with you. Your vision statement should be short, succinct, and motivational.
Creating a vision statement
Forging a sound vision begins with the following four questions:
- What is our business?
- Who is the customer?
- What do consumers value?
- What should our business be?
Companies continuously raise these questions and answer them carefully to aim in emphasising the business’ strengths when developing their vision statement. For example, Google’s vision is “to provide access to the world's information in one click”.
Some important points to remember when creating your business’s vision statement includes:
- Having a clear message
- Displaying passion and make it memorable
- Making it simple and concise
- Ensuring it is realistic
- Helping create a vision and picture in your audience’s mind.
If effectively done, businesses are able to provide their clients with a clear insight through one sentence, some businesses, on the other hand, may confuse or cloud their target audience through lengthy and confusing paragraphs which lose the meaning of the message they are trying to portray.
It can be tricky to begin creating a vision statement, the following sentence can be used as a prompt to begin sculpting a vision statement that reflects you and your business.
“I help ________ to be ________ by ________ so that they ________.”
Examples of vision statements
Not all businesses convey their vision statement in a short and succinct sentence. See the following table for examples and ask yourself, what the differences are and how this may impact the message they are attempting to portray along with the effect this may have on their customers and their business as a result.
| Succinct vision statements | Non-succinct vision statements |
|---|---|
| “To be one of the world's leading producers and providers of entertainment and information.” - Disney | “Our vision is to craft the brands and choice of drinks that people love, to refresh them in body and spirit. And done in ways that create a more sustainable business and better shared future that makes a difference in peoples lived, communities and our planet.” – Coca Cola |
| “To establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles while we grow.” - Starbucks | "GM’s vision is to be the world leader in transportation products and related services. We will earn our customer’s enthusiasm through continuous improvement driven by the integrity, teamwork, and innovation of GM people.” – General Motors |
| “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world” – Nike |
A mission statement is another message which is available to the public. Whilst a vision statement outlines the desired future position of the company, a mission statement outlines the company’s business, its objectives, and the approach it plans to take to reach these objectives.
Examples of mission statements of well-known companies:
- "The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world's premier entertainment company." – Disney
- "To inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time." – Starbucks
- "To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world. If you have a body, you are an athlete." – Nike
Determining the mission direction
A mission statement can take one of two directions, either a product-oriented or market-oriented mission, usually presenting with a clear distinction between the two. The following table provides examples of both.
| Company | Product-oriented definition | Market-oriented definition |
|---|---|---|
| Starbucks | We sell coffee and snacks | We sell “The Starbucks Experience”, one that enriches people’s lives one moment, one human being, one extraordinary cup of coffee at a time. |
| We are a social networking app for posting photos and videos | We help people capture and share the world’s moments. | |
| Sephora | We are a beauty products retailer | We sell lifestyle and self-expression by helping customers to unlock their beauty potential. |
| Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts | We rent rooms | We create “The Ritz-Carlton experience”—a memorable stay that far exceeds guests’ already-high expectations. |
Using this information, consider what you may include in the mission statement for your business.
Core values within a business are the guiding principles that dictate your behaviour and action. They are the fundamental beliefs that your business holds and dictates what you stand for as a exercise professional. These guiding principles help you differentiate between right and wrong and do’s and don’ts, ultimately creating the foundation for your long-lasting success. Effective core values for your business will create a sense of satisfaction and purpose for your employees and clients as you work towards a common goal to share a bigger purpose.
Often, a business will combine elements of its mission and vision statement in order to provide a public statement outlining the business’ core values, purposes and goals.
You may even find yourself wanting to conduct business alongside a company such as a well-known gym, whose values align with yours. With a shared cored value between your business and the affiliated gym, it will help keep you engaged and motivated, which in turn, will flow into your customers satisfaction and loyalty.
Let us look at the core values for well-known companies around the world.
Disney
- Make Everyone’s Dreams Come True
- You Better Believe It
- Never a Customer, Always a Guest
- All for One and One for All
- Share the Spotlight
- Dare to Dare
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- Make Your Elephant Fly
- Capture the Magic with Storyboards
Starbucks
With our partners, our coffee and our customers at our core, we live these values:
- Creating a culture of warmth and belonging, where everyone is welcome.
- Delivering our very best in all we do, holding ourselves accountable for results.
- Acting with courage, challenging the status quo, and finding new ways to grow our company and each other.
- Being present, connecting with transparency, dignity and respect.
We are performance driven, through the lens of humanity.
Nike
Nike’s key values centre around its vision, mission, and purpose. Nike’s core values are:
- Community
- Sustainability
- Diversity
- Social responsibly
These values are the core of Nike and continue to move the company forward, even in an unknown global future. These core values shine in the company’s dedication to success in business and society.
Les Mills
- United: Our customers, our instructors and our teammates are our team. We are totally dedicated to their success.
- Be Brave: We aim to be undisputed world champions in fitness and we relentlessly pursue that goal.
- Change the world: We are devoted to health and well-being. Creating a fitter planet is the reason we are here.
In this topic, we focused on the need and important use of vision and mission statements along with developing core values for businesses. You learnt:
- What each mean and how they bring a sense of importance to their organisation
- How they are developed to send out a message and purpose to their clientele
- Explore some vision and mission statements along with core values from well-known organisations around the world.
