The Importance of Mission, Values & Vision in Strategic Planning

Strategic Planning (SP) is all about your organizational hopes & dreams for the future. Since our individual dreams are bound to be at least somewhat different, there likely will be some challenges, or even conflict in formulating them. Hence the need for consensus.

The most effective beginning of this process is to come together on what your mission, values, & vision (MVV) are. Without a foundational agreement on these, moving ahead in a unified manner is very difficult.

Mission is not only why the company exists, but what it wants to accomplish. It is your approach to your market & customers. It is the why of providing what you provide. Mission must be regularly reevaluated to make sure it reflects the dynamic situation you face.

Values are present in everything you do; they are the how of what you do. They are the way you treat others in getting the job done, internally & externally. They are your guiding light.

Vision is passion; vision is what keeps us going even when it's not fun, too difficult, or unlikely to succeed. It is what gets some to "charge the machine gun nest", or to keep getting up when repeatedly knocked down. Unbelievable things can get done through vision; that's why we need to come together to brilliantly paint the picture.

MVV are what binds you together. They describe your goals, where you're going, and how you intend to get there. They keep you on track, focused, and moving together as a team. You know where you are, and because you're measuring results, you know what changes need to be made.

Failing to begin the SP process in this way will cause frustration down the road. As the saying goes, "pay me now, or pay me later".

To get the most out of this process, you'll need to assemble a team that is diverse in their personality styles, comes from different areas/disciplines, and has a variety of competencies. One person may be an eternal optimist, another a contrarian. One may be a risk taker, another risk averse.

The real value is in the differences. Without them, your point of view is limited; mistakes are made. With them, it may not be as much fun, which is where the facilitator earns their keep, but a balanced conclusion can be reached that misses little.

So if we begin with MVV, & build a foundation on it, everyone understands the value of their part in the process, buys in, & great things happen. This is the most effective way an SP program is begun.