How to Write a Vision Statement

Talk to any corporate leader and you will learn that they attribute a huge part of their success to having a functional vision statement. A goal that they have seen for their company. A vision statement is a plan that you have chalked out for the future of your organization.

It is a statement that gives you the inspiration to work better every day, and something that allows you to better the daily functioning of your office and motivates the decisions that you take in life. Big business honchos believe that without a vision statement to guide you it can be quite difficult to plan your business effectively.

It is extremely easy to draft a vision statement, if in your head, you know what you want your organization and business to accomplish.

Refer to any example of a vision statement and you will learn that it is generally a short-term vision, talking about the foreseeable future of about five years. It defines for the writer a definite plan for the future.

While generally vision statements are written for organizations, it may be a good idea to have a vision statement for your personal life as well, which could guide you through the obstacles that you face and keep you focused on an end result. Follow the simple steps given below in order to write a vision statement for your organization and for your self.

• Before writing a vision statement, it is important for you to study your mission statement. For most companies, this refers to the statement that defines the need for their existence. If you do not understand why you exist, then drafting a vision statement can be difficult.

Another important thing is to remember to dream big. Your vision statement may not necessarily be the most pragmatic but it needs to push you harder. Ensure that there is some degree of achievement that you aim for while being grounded in reality. It is important that you form a good mental picture in your head regarding where you see yourself.

• If you are unsure of how to go about the process of writing a vision statement, look at other vision statements. Study them to learn how these vision statements have been created.

• Before writing a vision statement, make a list of all of your company's goals and ideals according to which they work. You need to know what your goals as an organization are before you write what you foresee for yourself in the future.

• Work with the other employees in your organization, and ask them where they see the company in the future. Work in tandem with the people in the core management group to learn what achievements they are looking for in the future for the company. Brainstorm on these as a group and come up with a unifying vision statement for the organization as a whole.

• Think about how you want the public and your target audience to view you. Work out five or six statements that match your claims on advertisements and investor documents.

• Once you have actually drafted a vision statement, circulate this amongst your friends and family and even colleagues in different companies who will be able to tell you whether or not the vision statement is effective.

Once you have drafted your vision statement, you will need to promote it and increase the attention it gets in different documents. Ensure that your company's vision statement features prominently in all your internal documents.

This will ensure that the employees also know what your company's goals for the future are. Learning to write a vision statement is extremely easy as long as you know what you are aiming to achieve.