Mission, Purpose, Vision, Values: What, Why & Examples

 
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Mission, Purpose, Vision, Values: Why all entrepreneurs need these

Mission, purpose, vision, and values are what I like to call Meaningful Mantras.

They explain the who, what, how, and why of your business.

For a business, these should be your driving force.

When they are actually used in the way they were intended, mission, purpose, vision, and values make building, running, and growing your business easier and more impactful.

So how come they are ignored by so many people? I believe it’s because people don’t understand the differences between them or how to really utilize them.

When I worked in the corporate world, these terms weren’t always used in the right way and the true meaning of them wasn’t at all baked into the culture or operations of our business. In fact, I oftentimes felt we actually operated in conflict with them.

This essentially makes developing these mantras a big, fat waste of time.

However, if you’re an entrepreneur or business owner, these are super powerful tools you absolutely should use in your business. Creating them forces you to make tough choices and get super clear on the reason your business exists and how it will operate. Then once they are created, you can actively use them in your business.

So let’s dive into each of these one by one. I’ll cover what they are - since they all have a distinct purpose - and share some examples.

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What is a mission statement?

A mission statement is what your organization does and for whom.

It should:

  1. Be clear, memorable, and concise

  2. Provide focus and establish boundaries

  3. Create “buy-in” and motivate staff and partners

  4. Help you evaluate your opportunities and ideas

A mission statement helps you make decisions because it should be clear on whether something is ON-MISSION or OFF-MISSION, aka. yes, do it or no, don’t do it.

Mission Statement Examples

  • Stacy Kessler helps bold boss lady entrepreneurs leave their signature stamp on the world in a way that makes ‘em wanna do a happy dance.

  • Platform 53 creates environments that enable solopreneurs to thrive and do their best work.

  • MARC simplifies activism for passionate US citizens in order to cultivate nonpartisan political and social change.

  • We provide ideas, tools, strategies, and resources to help go-getters live their ideal life.

More Resources

Read my article on why you need a mission statement (and how to tell if yours is a good one or not) for more info.

Download my free guide: How to write a killer mission statement below.

What is a purpose statement?

A purpose statement is why your organization exists.

It should:

  • Articulate your why or true north.

  • Capture the meaningful impact your business (directly or indirectly) will have on someone or something.

  • Fuel your passion.

  • Be the result of the work your mission statement guides.

On the really tough days it’ll help you push through and keep going because you understand the importance of your work and if crafted correctly, should be something you really care about.

PURPOSE Statement Examples

  • Stacy Kessler helps people tap into their unique zone of genius.

  • Platform 53 helps people have happier, more productive days.

  • MARC fosters a culture of activism and change for a better world.

  • Protecting and conserving the planet’s precious resources for future generations.

  • Eliminating discrimination from the workplace.

  • To help people become who they most want to be so they can live life to the fullest.

More Resources

Read my article on what a purpose statement is and how to write one for more info.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement depicts the kind of future to which your organization aspires.

It should:

  • Provide focus for what your mission statement should accomplish.

  • Should be written in future-tense as if it’s already come true.

  • Can be externally focused (how the world will be different) or internally focused (how your organization will be different). I suggest one of each, but definitely an external one!

  • Articulate the result of having perfectly achieved your purpose.

Should an external vision statement be achieved, it would put you out of job because your work would no longer be needed.

PURPOSE Statement Examples

EXTERNAL

  • Stacy Kessler envisions a world where all human beings get the opportunity to contribute to society in a meaningful and fulfilling way.

  • Platform 53 envisions a world where all solopreneurs are part of a supportive community and have what they need to thrive.

  • By 2025, 50% of Millennial adults will take part in activism efforts to better the future of this world.

  • I envision a world in which marketing is used solely to serve our citizens: to connect people with the help they need and the things they desire.

  • We envision a world where every person has the financial means to provide for themselves and their family.

  • Every person on earth has beautiful photographs to remember special moments and loved ones.

  • Every American has free and easy access to the Internet at all times.

  • There is never a time when a female walking by herself feels unsafe.

INTERNAL

  • Stacy Kessler will be a highly referred, respected, and trusted expert on helping women-owned small businesses thrive with sanity.

  • By 2020 Platform 53 will be the go-to hub in the Cincinnati Region for solopreneurs.

  • Mandala Leaders: To be the fastest growing, most rewarding and most transformative leadership community.

  • Reelgood: Be the place that people go to when they want to watch any TV show or movie.

  • Pfizer Inc: Be the premier, innovative biopharmaceutical company.

  • Manchester United Ltd: Be the best football club in the world, both on and off the pitch.

  • Procter & Gamble: Be, and be recognized as, the best consumer products and services company in the world.

More Resources

Read my article on why you should have two vision statements for more info.

What are core values?

Your core values are the culture of your organization.

They should:

  • Be guiding principles for how your business and its people will conduct itself both internally and externally.

  • Represent your core convictions and feel unique to you and how you approach your business and help clients.

  • Assist with recruiting and partnering with others by working only with people with whom these values resonate and ensuring they are aligned to operating in this way.

  • Get everyone on the same page with how your organization operates.

  • Demonstrate how your people will cohesively work towards your mission, purpose, and vision.

If you, your staff, or your partners are out of alignment with these values, it will not feel like you are doing the right things in the right way. These should be baked into everyone’s gut and be their guide on how to operate. If you follow these values you should feel proud about how you show up to work every day.

PURPOSE Statement Examples

  • STACY KESSLER

    Purpose Driven: Everyone has unique gifts and skills and a burning desire to do something positive with them. We just have to take the time to recognize and learn about what that is and then be courageous in running after it. If we are intentional, we can all use business for good. Though making money is important, work is never only about the money.

    Anything is Possible: Never settle for the status quo. Dream big, but then do something about it. Encourage and support other’s big dreams. If no one has done it, then it’s your time. If you’re fearful, it means you’re headed in the right direction. Extraordinary things are done by ordinary people, but we have to believe and operate outside our comfort zone regularly.

    Have the Right Priorities: Work is important, but God and family come first. Regular time off for rest and rejuvenation is a must. Never forget why you’re doing this work in the first place. We are more productive when we are intentional about how we spend our working hours. Fewer, but more important priorities are better than long to-do lists.

    Never Stop Exploring: Be curious, be creative, be experimental. Never stop learning, never stop growing, never stop self-reflecting. It’s important to invest time and money into personal and professional growth. Schedule time to be creative, reflect, and do strategic work.

    Knock Their Socks Off: Always strive for delivering amazing customer experiences. Be a student of your clients - learning continually through listening, feedback, and observation. Take criticism with grace. When failure happens, take responsibility for it and find a way to make it right. Then reflect on what you learned so you can provide a better experience next time.

  • PLATFORM 53

    Community: Our people are what matter first and foremost. While we are here to get work done, we are human and thrive when we do not operate in isolation. Everything that we do considers our members and how it will impact the strength of our community. We care about the whole person and strive to get to know everyone both personally and professionally.

    Openness: We are transparent in our plans and our decisions. We seek input, feedback, and ideas from our members, always striving to improve their experience at Platform 53. We are inclusive and welcoming. We form tight bonds and support each other, but we are proactive about welcoming new people and will not tolerate cliques.

    Productive: We are a place for people to thrive and do their best work. While social connectivity is a piece of thriving, it should support and not detract from allowing people to be productive. Our environment should not just be creative, but also functional.

    Collaborative: We value collaboration over competition. Everyone has unique gifts and can contribute in unique ways. When we see each other as potential collaborators instead of competitors, great things can happen. We will never ask you to sign an NDA or CDA. We encourage the sharing of ideas and finding serendipitous opportunities to work together and help each other out.

    Diverse: We value diversity of skill, thought, and background. The more diverse we are, the more we can learn from each other. We believe we are greater than the sum of our parts and that increases exponentially with diversity.

    For the Greater Good: We don’t believe in working just to make a living, we believe in working to make a positive change in the world. We have a desire to contribute to our community, not just take from it. We are not a place for freeloaders or hard-sellers. We welcome friendly, thoughtful, and generous human beings with a good heart that. We will be good “coworkers.”

  • MARIE FORLEO

    Everything is figureoutable. No matter what we want to create or make happen, we can figure it out. Google is the world’s best free research assistant and social media allows us to connect with almost anyone on the planet to help bring our ideas to life, fast.

    Intuition rules. We trust our gut over everything else. We take big risks when it feels right and turn down revenue, opportunities and partnerships that, despite looking great on paper, give us that flash of intuitive doubt.

    Never create a product or service “just for the money.” The greatest profits (financial, spiritual, emotional) arise from where our deepest passions and our customers’ deepest needs are met. Every program or product we create is because we fully believe in it, it sounds like fun and we know it will make a huge difference in our customers’ lives.

    Caring is the most powerful marketing strategy there is. We truly, deeply care about our customers and our larger audience. That’s why we strive to deliver 10x the value in everything we do.

  • MARC

    Accountable: We take personal accountability for our actions and results, and focus on developing solutions and achieving results. Our word is our bond, and we keep promises and commitments made to others.

    Credible: We work to constantly sustain credible, reliable, and trusted professional teams in each respective field within our areas of responsibility.

    Transparent: We are dedicated to actively and openly providing information to our donors, stakeholders, and the general public. We will proactively communicate our status on all research, fundraising goals, priorities, campaigns, and deadlines.

    Inclusive: We show respect for and value all individuals for their diverse backgrounds, life experiences, approaches, views, and ideas.

    Visionary: We are dedicated to continuous evaluation of the future of our organization in order to address the needs of the present and the challenges of the future.

    Ethical: We act with principle and integrity, not compromising the truth. We act with the highest commitment to ethical behavior in all our activities.

More Resources

Read my article, Core Values: What They Are & How to Develop Yours for more info.

Key Takeaways: Mission, Purpose, Vision, Values

  1. These meaningful mantras explain the who, what, how, and why of your business.

  2. When make building, running, and growing your business easier and more impactful.

  3. Creating these forces you to make tough choices and get super clear on the reason your business exists and how it will operate.

  4. These should actively be used in your business.

Mission

What your organization does and for whom.

Example: Stacy Kessler helps bold boss lady entrepreneurs leave their signature stamp on the world in a way that makes ‘em wanna do a happy dance.

PURPOSE

Why your organization exists.

Example: Stacy Kessler helps people tap into their unique zone of genius.

VISION

Depicts the kind of future to which your organization aspires.

External Example: Stacy Kessler envisions a world where all human beings get the opportunity to contribute to society in a meaningful and fulfilling way.

Internal Example: Stacy Kessler will be a highly referred, respected, and trusted expert on helping women-owned small businesses thrive with sanity.

VALUES

The culture of your organization.

Example: Stacy Kessler

Purpose Driven: Everyone has unique gifts and skills and a burning desire to do something positive with them. We just have to take the time to recognize and learn about what that is and then be courageous in running after it. If we are intentional, we can all use business for good. Though making money is important, work is never only about the money.

Anything is Possible: Never settle for the status quo. Dream big, but then do something about it. Encourage and support other’s big dreams. If no one has done it, then it’s your time. If you’re fearful, it means you’re headed in the right direction. Extraordinary things are done by ordinary people, but we have to believe and operate outside our comfort zone regularly.

Have the Right Priorities: Work is important, but God and family come first. Regular time off for rest and rejuvenation is a must. Never forget why you’re doing this work in the first place. We are more productive when we are intentional about how we spend our working hours. Fewer, but more important priorities are better than long to-do lists.

Never Stop Exploring: Be curious, be creative, be experimental. Never stop learning, never stop growing, never stop self-reflecting. It’s important to invest time and money into personal and professional growth. Schedule time to be creative, reflect, and do strategic work.

Knock Their Socks Off: Always strive for delivering amazing customer experiences. Be a student of your clients - learning continually through listening, feedback, and observation. Take criticism with grace. When failure happens, take responsibility for it and find a way to make it right. Then reflect on what you learned so you can provide a better experience next time.

How to Write a Mission Statement

Grab my free step-by-step guide: How to Write a Killer Mission Statement. Get the free downloadable workbook below:

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stacy kessler - pathfinding strategist

Hey There!

I’m Stacy, an entrepreneur, strategist, and adventurer dedicated to helping you craft your dream business out of your skills & passions. Why? Because I think you should love your life and that’s kind of hard to do if you don’t love your work.

You are meant to do important and amazing things in this world and I’m here to help you do just that.

 

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