Turning Your Dreams Into Reality
Focus: Develop Your Vision

The Vision Statement that you develop should talk to what you or your business will become in the next three to five years. Your Vision Statement will set the standard for you or your company's preferred future. It should state what the future will be like for you, your customers, your team/partners/co-workers, your family and for society.

Why is having a vision statement important? The most important role of an owner or leader is to define direction. Your Vision Statement defines your desired future and the direction you will pursue with your future. Your vision for the future is also important because it is at the heart of your day-to-day decision making, it guides you as you grow your business and directs why you are doing what you're doing. All those who want to be entrepreneurial and truly take ownership for their business must create their own vision for the future. Why? Because your vision is what brings your business to life. It provides hope for a bigger, better or preferred future, in essence it serves as the finish line; it's your ultimate goal.

According to an article in Fortune Magazine, about half of all U.S. corporations have some form of mission and, vision statement -- double the number 10 years ago. However, words or statements do not make vision a reality, people do. One of the reasons people seek to build shared visions is their desire to be connected to an important undertaking. This desire is fulfilled in different ways for each of us. When there is genuine vision, people excel and learn not because they are told to, but because they want to.

Don Midgett, Author
Mission and Vision Statements: Discover Your Path to a Successful Business Future