I know ... I know ... I am not telling anyone something new by
writing about this topic. Every now and then we all need to be
reminded of what we have learned, re-think how it applies to our
current situation and implement actions as appropriate.
Basically, I just wanted to emphasize the importance of having a
vision statement. Having a vision statement for your company,
group, team, family or yourself makes common sense because it
provides direction on where you want yourself or the group to go.
Without a vision, neither you nor anyone in the group knows where
they are going or what needs to happen to get there. Your vision
statement needs to be to clear and concise.

Vision statements should not be complex nor take too long in
developing. The best way to get started is by brainstorming a
few key phrases, formulate a sentence or two and think about it
for a while. Ask yourself, if I were reading this for the first
time, would I get it? If not try again, you will get it. After
you create the vision statement, write it down, communicate the
message and display with pride. One very effective technique in
creating vision statements is to incorporate the use of your
company's name and key words such as; we, our and us. Avoid the
generalization and soft words such as; transform and create.

In support of the vision statement, many companies develop the
supporting mission statement and at times have combined the two.
I think keeping the vision and mission statements separate
promotes better communication of your message and keeps people
focused. The mission statement explains what a company does and
supporting attributes distinguishing your company from another.
Again keep the mission statement clear and concise when your
create one.

Here are two vision statements I like: Amazon.com: Our vision is
to be earth's most customer centric company; to build a place
where people can come to find and discover anything they might
want to buy online. 3M Canada Vision Statement: We will grow by
helping our customer's win - through the ingenuity and
responsiveness of people who care.

The vision statement facilitates decision making by aligning
everyone towards a common purpose. For the decision makers, the
power of vision statements supports timelier and less
controversial decision discussions. If you are part of a company
without a vision statement, I'm sure you have observed the chaos
that can be created when different agenda's collide. Even back
during biblical times, people realized the power of a vision;
refer to Proverbs 29:18 ...without a vision people will perish...

There are many helpful resources online; a little research may be
of assistance to you if creating a vision seems confusing. Put
some thought into your vision statement and see the positive
results and benefit of having one. May your hopes and dreams turn
into reality and success.  

Kent Jacobson, a.k.a. "Mr. Success" is a trusted authority in the
success field and provides valuable success information for free
through his website at: http://www.Shortcut2Success.com . You can
also read Kent's Success Blog to find more success secrets at:
http://www.Shortcut2Success.com/blog