WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 - VISION

 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2023 - VISION

This week I’m looking at the underlying structure of a quality business through the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Foundation.  Yesterday was Mission, today is the Vision, and tomorrow is the Value.  

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WHAT ARE THE 3 PARTS OF A VISION STATEMENT?

Your company vision is meant to be inspirational while also aligning with the company’s mission. A vision statement should have the following characteristics:

ASPIRATIONAL AND AMBITIOUS: Have a lofty outlook for what you want your business to accomplish? Here’s the place to put it. Your vision statement should be aspirational and showcase how your business will grow in the future.

PRACTICAL AND ACHIEVABLE: While your statement should be ambitious, it shouldn’t be impossible. Set a goal that is both challenging and practical.

GENERAL: Your vision should be broad enough to encompass all of your brand’s overall goals. Think of it in terms of an umbrella for your mission statement and company objectives to nest under.

A VISION STATEMENT is aspirational and expresses your brand’s plan or “vision” for the future and potential impact on the world. They often serve as a guide for a brand’s future goals and explain why customers and employees should stick around for the long haul.

Both mission and vision statements are often combined into one comprehensive "mission statement" to define the organization's reason for existing and its outlook for internal and external audiences — like employees, partners, board members, consumers, and shareholders.

The difference between mission and vision statements lies in the purpose they serve.

A  good vision statement should be bold and ambitious. They’re meant to be inspirational, big-picture declarations of what your company strives to be in the future. They give customers a peek into your company’s trajectory and build customer loyalty by allowing them to align their support with your vision because they believe in the future of your brand as well.

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Let’s do some examples:

Life is Good.  We’ve seen t-shirts and other materials that say “Life is Good”.  

Their Mission Statement was: To spread the power of optimism.

Their Vision is: The Life is Good brand is about more than spreading optimism — although, with uplifting T-shirt slogans like "Seas The Day" and "Forecast: Mostly Sunny," it's hard not to crack a smile.

There are tons of T-shirt companies in the world, but Life is Good's mission sets itself apart with a mission statement that goes beyond fun clothing: to spread the power of optimism.

This mission is perhaps a little unexpected if you're not familiar with the company's public charity: How will a T-shirt company help spread optimism? Life is Good answers that question below the fold, where the mission is explained in more detail using a video and with links to the company’s community and the Life is Good Kids Foundation page. We really like how lofty yet specific this mission statement is — it's a hard-to-balance combination.  (Check out: https://www.lifeisgood.com/blog/) 

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So, let’s try a Vision statement for Karen White, Total Quality Love Consulting

The Mission (yesterday) was Total Quality Love Consulting, to encourage kindness, empathy, and agape love 

So, let’s try this as a vision station:

Total Quality Love Consulting puts enthusiasm into agape love; promotes a love without hate, and forgiveness over grudges.

How do we put that enthusiasm into everything?  With a joyful heart, with a heart and an attitude that doesn’t judge, that only loves.  That stresses being kind, being nice, and honoring all people.

Our principle of “Love Your Neighbor Like Yourself” fits into a Judeo-Christian worldview

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We have said, “Love is blind”. Total Quality Love says relationships should not be based on skin color, religious beliefs, and doctrines, age, gender, or on gender transformation.  

Love Wins is not a zero-sum activity.  In sports, one team wins and one team loses.  With Total Quality Love, nobody loses, all people win.  

It is an attitude that transcends rational thought.  I can love you - whether you love me or not.  I can love the unlovable.  I can love Republicans AND Democrats AND independents (and third-party groups).  

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So, we’ve looked at Mission (our goal), and vision (what we are going to do to fulfill the mission), and tomorrow we’ll look at value.

And, for Karen White, Total Quality Love Consulting:

The Mission is: to encourage kindness, empathy, and agape love 

The Vision is: Total Quality Love Consulting puts enthusiasm into agape love; promotes a love without hate, and forgiveness over grudges.

How do we put that enthusiasm into everything?  With a joyful heart, with a heart and an attitude that doesn’t judge, that only loves.  That stresses being kind, being nice, and honoring all people.

Our principle of “Love Your Neighbor Like Yourself” fits into a Judeo-Christian worldview

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LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, JANUARY 11, 2023