Good Soil - Craft Your Vision & Mission Statements

Listen to the companion Thrive Support Podcast Episode titled ‘Ep 1: Good Soil - Craft Your Grounding Statements’

Thrive Belief (consider this): 

Grounding Statements (vision, mission, core values) are the “good soil” in which every seed is planted. 

Thrive Action (do this): 

Craft the vision & mission statements for your brand.

Step by step: 

• Answer these questions: 

• 1. What do you wish were true in the world that is not currently true? What do you feel called to make true? Why do you need a company or organization to accomplish this instead of simply joining another brand that is doing work in this area? (this becomes your vision statement). 

• 2. What are you going to do about it? What actions, steps, or moves will you make to bring that vision into reality in the next 1 - 3 years? (This becomes your mission statement.)

• Research the vision and mission of a few people you admire. 

• Note how their vision influences the actions they are taking now (mission). 

• Use that, along with your answers to the questions above, to help you craft or revise your own vision and mission. 

Expert tips: 

• If you have partners or other managing stakeholders, be sure to craft these statements collectively so everyone is on the same page.

• Be sure to write your vision and mission out in whatever place is easiest and repeatable for you. (DO NOT rely on your memory!)

• Don’t get distracted by trying to make the statements sound catchy or succinct (that will happen over time). Focus instead on being clear and authentic to what truly describes what you’re setting out to do.

• Place the statements in an area you can revisit them everyday. 

a few questions that may come up

Difference between vision & mission: 

Timeline: vision covers a longer stretch of time, looks forward to the distant future (ex. In the next 20 years my brand will have created a world where XX exists OR X is or isn’t true;  mission covers a shorter span of time, considers present day and near future (ex. Within the next 1 - 3 years, I will work to reach X milestone / set of milestones

Scale/Scope: vision is large, lofty, and aspirational (ex. Make the world laugh) ; mission is more manageable (ex. In the next 5 years, start a media network that includes comedic podcasts, video content, and in person activations.) Ex. Inspo: Kevin Hart

Resources: vision needs an entire ecosystem ; mission can be started by one and furthered by a team

Do I need both a vision and mission statement? 

The short answer is no. You do not need both statements. However, there is deeper clarity and more value in having both a vision (big-picture, aspirational, broad, future based) to form your target AND a mission statement (small-picture, present-based, specific) to form your specific set of milestones.

What if I need additional support in crafting my statements? 

Next week I will release a complimentary video on the Thrive Business Support YouTube channel offering additional support. You may also choose to book a free discovery call with me and ask about purchasing a Thrive Strategy session to talk it out. If you have not already, be sure to gain deeper insight by listening to the corresponding podcast episode.

Until next time,

Plant fruitfully!

note: Although AI is a helpful tool, it has not been used to help write, formulate, or enhance this article. All concepts, typos, and grammatical errors are our own. ;)