Vision and Mission are statements used to drive the companies and enterprises strategic choices. Mission and Vision are the synthesis of the company reason of existing, and they are the North star for planning the future. In short: The mission is the “what” and the “how,” and the vision is the “why.”

Vision

The VISION of an enterprise identifies the idea of the entrepreneur, his dream and what the enterprise wants to become in the future.

Mission

The MISSION represents the claim of the intents of the enterprise. It defines how the enterprise wants to reach its goals day by day.

Temporal window

Those 2 concepts are strictly linked together. The first deals with the long-term horizon goals and has to do with the dream of the enterprise. The second instead is more focused on the present temporal horizon and on the more practical aspects of the business activity.

How to define the vision

An inspiring Vision should include the long-terms objectives, it has to highlight the values and the ideals of the business. An effective vision should be clearly defined and shared between all the levels of the organization. The Vision should indicate:

The sector in which the enterprise operates

The realistic future objectives

A time window in which the enterprise wants to reach its goals

The values of the enterprise

The idea of the future scenario.

How to define the mission

The Mission refers to the present of the Enterprise, it has therefore to establish the strategy to reach the goals. When the founder of an enterprise writes the mission he claims how he will operate and for whom. It is important to indicate in the mission its target and the reason of its existence. When the entrepreneur writes his Mission he has to answer these questions:

for which reason the enterprise is on the market

who are its customers

which are the distinctive characteristics of the enterprise

which is the "personality" of the enterprise

which are the concrete short time objectives of the enterprise

what are the need that the enterprise wants to satisfy

Key elements of the mission

The history of the enterprise

The managerial preferences of the enterprise

The resources of the enterprise

The mission objective must be "SMART"

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time Based

The Mission doesn't have to be unique: Beyond the Corporate Mission, the enterprise can find an ulterior mission for each product, department or activity.

The mission is not eternal, it can change over the years.

Examples

Disney

Vision: To Make people happy
Mission: To be the biggest entertainment company in the world, maintain the market share through the innovation and the creation of new experiences of entertainment

Tesla

Vision: To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy
Mission: To create the most compelling car company of the 21st century by driving the world’s transition to electric vehicles

Nike

Vision: Bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world ---- *If you have a body, you are an athlete.
Mission: Create groundbreaking sports innovations, make our products sustainably, build a creative and diverse global team, and make a positive impact in communities where we live and work