Business

Missions & Visions: Pillars of Successful Organizations

You are your mission, and you are becoming your vision. Are you willing to risk winging it?


The practice of organisation is a critical function of management that frequently is taken for granted. In basic terms, it is imperative to identify and coordinate the what’s, why’s, how’s, where’s, when’s and who’s to succeed in any venture, whether business or other social services, efficiently and effectively. In my practice, I primarily work with Startups and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). One of my most notable observations is that many SMEs operate with a fixed mindset – simply flipping resources today without considering how to maximise current strengths and opportunities to drive sustainable growth for the future.

One of my clients, John, owns a restaurant. He is an excellent cook and does exceptionally well with coordinating kitchen staff and services. As a result, he started to get numerous requests to cater meetings and other larger events. However, John opened a juice jar in another town. In addition, John does fitness training in the mornings and evenings and freelance photography from time to time. John’s philosophy is to do whatever it takes to make him money right now. This system worked for some time. Eventually, his multiple income streams saw diminishing returns due to the lack of organisation. John had become stretched too thin. He is currently unable to deliver the best of anything that he offers. He is losing customers at the restaurant and has been unable to maintain momentum with his fitness trainees. We are currently working with John to pinpoint his mission – what is his current business priority, what his vision of success looks like, and finally, to develop a clear strategy to get there. In so doing, we can then help him control the scope and focus of his investment, thereby enabling him to create, manage and maximise more sustainable returns.

Unposed group of creative business people in an open concept office brainstorming their next project.

Application in MSMEs

Many SMEs operate without a clear mission or vision. This is often due to a lack of training and exposure. Still, in many cases, the proprietors do not adequately contemplate the power of their enterprise nor the potential to grow far beyond self-employment or the parochial small business. Some think that a mission or vision statement is only for the area of larger organisations with significant market share and pretty profit margins. At Visio HQ, we actively dismiss the small business mindset, emphasising “startups

Startups are business experiments, research, and development processes that precede innovation, disruption, and success in business.

Mark-Odean Grant

Startups must discover and create their ingredients for success and emulate successful enterprises’ appropriate properties and practices. Today we will explore the importance of a mission and a vision—two fundamental features of successful organisations.

There are many academic references about what acceptable mission and vision statements should entail. As a scholar, myself and a trained and experienced professional, I encourage my team, mentees, and clients to understand and appreciate the rigour of developing sound mission and vision statements. However, in practice, simplicity is your best friend. Your message should be brief, relatable, and memorable to quickly engage your key stakeholders’ interest, participation, and support. Startups are value experiments, the research and development process that precedes innovation, disruption, and a successful business.

Your Mission

Your mission is your big “WHY?”. It answers the questions: “why are you here,” “what do you do?” and “for who?” Your mission is not simply a statement; it is the fundamental purpose of your existence. At the minimum, your mission defines what makes you different from other players in your space. At best, it represents your unique identity, creates your own space, and makes you incomparable. Your mission statement must clearly articulate what you do now and whom you are serving. In addition, missions should effectively represent a capacity to serve stakeholders’ needs most practically. Here are some examples of grand mission statements:

  1. Visio HQ: “to help Jamaicans build great careers, create excellent learning organisations and develop successful businesses.”
  2. Grace Kennedy: “to satisfy the unmet needs of Caribbean people wherever we live in the world.”
  3. Google: “to organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”
  4. Microsoft: “to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.”

Your Vision

Your vision is a glimpse of your successful destiny. It represents your ultimate success, the summit of fulfilling your mission and purpose. Your vision is not just a statement; it is the essence of your ambition to make an indelible mark on the world. It contemplates what’s next and helps you to position yourself to grow and get better. At the minimum, your vision seizes the future. At best, it defines your legacy. Visions should not just be ambitious but perhaps even audacious to ensure that there is a continuous source of challenge and motivation for your work.

Here are the fantastic vision statements for the missions stated above:

  1. Visio HQ: “to become a centre of excellence for disruption in talent management, startup development, and business networking in Jamaica.”
  2. Grace Kennedy: “to transform ourselves from a Jamaican trading company to a global consumer group with our roots in Jamaica.”
  3. Google: “to provide access to the world’s information in one click.”
  4. Microsoft: “to help individuals and businesses realise their full potential.”

Missions & Visions Evolve

The world is a dynamic place. Global trends and the increasing impact of travel, information and communication technology, e-commerce, and social media have revolutionised the industrial landscape. As a result, businesses and other organisations must be increasingly sensitive in their response to these changes. In worst-case scenarios, these changes present significant threats and may even render missions irrelevant. In best-case scenarios, these changes create more excellent opportunities to compete and even offer enhanced tools for success. Your mission and vision must evolve to contend with the dynamics of the industry. Your mission must maintain relevance to those you serve, and your vision must actively contemplate developments to keep you on target.

You are your mission, and you are becoming your vision. Are you willing to risk winging it? Missions and visions are critical features of successful organisations, whether a startup or a large enterprises. Your mission identifies you in the industry, and your vision epitomises your ultimate success. These critical instruments go a far way in charting your path by creating the context for your work, helping to engage your key stakeholders, and providing continuous challenge and motivation.

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