Strategic Planning Begins With Mission and Vision Statements

A sure-fire way to start the success of your business strategic planning process is to identify the foundation upon which your business was built. Lacking a well defined mission statement and equally communicated vision statement identifying your desired future will make the job a great deal more difficult. Rather like threading a needle and thread without tying a knot at its end, an undefined business floats its intended outcome with little to anchor its goals and strategic activities. "Your mission and vision statements should be used to help focus your business in terms of direction, leadership, and goal-setting ; mission and vision statements are the basis for your organization's strategic planning", said Don Midgett, author of Mission and Vision Statements: Your Path to a Successful Business Future.

"Visionary businesses excel because they set goals that relate directly to their mission and vision statements. They communicate their vision statement and vision-based goals to both customers and employees. They come up with strategic activities and daily/weekly/monthly actions to reach their goals and, over some period of time, achieve their vision. It is in this way that a business can control its own destiny, rather than let outside forces determine a business direction." A periodic review by management of your strategic planning actions will let you know if you have chosen the right strategic activities for your business. Additionally you can also make sure that the strategic planning activities you have chosen to do are all supportive of your mission and vision statements. Use your mission and vision statements to chart and stay the course.

Need help with this? Go to http://www.missionvisionstatement.com and obtain Mission and Vision Statements: Your Path to a Successful Business Future - you will get well constructed exercises and examples to help you develop meaningful and useful mission and vision statements for your strategic planning process.

Don Midgett, Author
Mission and Vision Statements: Your Path to a Successful Business Future
81 pages, is available in digital format (pdf) at
http://www.missionvisionstatement.com

Don Midgett is the managing partner for the GenesisGroup, helping organizations and leaders discover their full potential. Don specializes in workshops on mission and vision, strategic planning, and team building.

To schedule an interview with Don, email him at don.midgett@missionvisionstatement.com or call 805-746-3161.