Mission, Vision, and Positioning Statements – Make Mantras

Mission, Vision, and Positioning Statements oh my! Whats the difference among them? Well it depends on who you ask.

Wikipedia, the go to source for known unknowns states:

• A Mission statement tells you the fundamental purpose of the organization. It defines the customer and the critical processes. It informs you of the desired level of performance.

• A Vision statement outlines what the organization wants to be, or how it wants the world in which it operates to be. It concentrates on the future. It is a source of inspiration. It provides clear decision-making criteria.

But don’t look for examples or information on what is supposed to come first. You won’t find that there.

As a matter of fact if you search harvard business review for sample mission or vision statements- you’d believe they didn’t exist.

From Harvard Business Review “Can You Say What Your Strategy Is?”

Nestled within an hbr article I found this nugget which highlights the clearest correlation between the three that I’ve seen thus far.

But as far as examples the best example of mission statements I’ve found is from Target:

Our mission is to make Target the preferred shopping destination for our guests by delivering outstanding value, continuous innovation and an exceptional guest experience by consistently fulfilling our Expect More. Pay Less.^® brand promise.

About.com also has some great information on writing mission statements as well.

As far as vision statements I’ve found are from an InformIT article; some examples:

• Land a man on the moon and safely return him to earth by the end of this decade.
• I have a dream that all men will be judged by the merit of their character, not by the color of their skin.
• To become the premiere supplier of reliable, high-quality, complex military defense systems and commercial aerospace products.

And don’t even get me started on positioning statements, which are often confused for vision statements.Positioning statements come from Geoffrey Moore’s book Crossing the Chasm. It follows the form:

• For (target customer)
• Who (statement of the need or opportunity)
• The (product/service name) is a (product/service category)
• That (key benefit, compelling reason to buy) –> should be measurable
• Unlike (primary competitive alternative)
• Our product (statement of primary differentiation)
• *(addition, if proof is not obvious state the proof point) Because proof point

Position statements are very important and probably the most important aspect of defining your business.

So whats Qworky’s Mission and Vision statement?

We don’t have one. I can’t say I’m particularly focused on developing one- instead most of our energy and effort is spent defining our mantra. To quote James Collins (author of Good to Great) and Jerry Porras:

Many executives thrash about with mission statements and vision statements. Unfortunately, most of those statements turn out to be a muddled stew of values, goals, purposes, philosophies, beliefs, aspirations, norms, strategies, practices, and descriptions. They are usually a boring, confusing, structurally unsound stream of words that evoke the response “True, but who cares?” Even more problematic, seldom do these statements have a direct link to the fundamental dynamic of visionary companies: preserve the core and stimulate progress. That dynamic, not vision or mission statements, is the primary engine of enduring companies.

I’m firmly in the “make mantra” camp.

Missions are laborious to recite. Mantras are poetic. Missions are constraining where mantras are inspiring. Missions tell you what; Mantras tell you how you go about delivering on your positioning statement/value proposition.

I have a belief that if your mission, vision, etc. can’t be remembered then it is probably not the guiding principle driving your business.

Qworky’s mantra is still under development but I hope this information is useful to you as you define your own. As a startup I believe defining your position and defining your mantra is key to setting the tone for both your product and your organization.