Mission Statement(s)

Your mission is the nuts and bolts of your vision.  A mission statement concerns what an organization is all about.

 It answers three questions:

1. What do we do?
2. For whom do we do it?
3. What is the benefit?

A mission statement gives the overall purpose of an organization, while a vision statement describes a picture of the desired future. Your mission statement explains what you do, for whom, and what is the benefit.  The vision statement describes how the future will look if the you achieve your mission!

An example:
"We build the finest castles for the world's billionaires.   Our castles are eco-friendly, made out of all natural materials and meet all local energy conservation standards. We strive to mazimize our client's return as much as possible while taking into account all possible threats ."

The differences:

1. Vision:  Defines where the organization wants to be in the future. It reflects the optimistic view of the organization's future.
2. Mission:  Defines where the organization is going now, basically describing the purpose, why this organization exits.
3. Values:  Main values protected by the organization during the progression, reflecting the organization's culture and priorities.
4. Strategic Planning: Saves wasted time, every minute spent in planning saves ten minutes in execution.