Drive Clarity With Shared Definitions

A few weeks ago, I was leading a large group exercise on Vision, Mission and Values for a company at a significant inflection point. The first 30 minutes were quite challenging—unusually challenging—until I realized that three of the group had not been with us throughout the whole process and had very different definitions for the terms we were seeking to define. Doh!

I stopped the workshop and went back to the beginning (always a good place to start) so we could agree on what a Vision, what a Mission, and what Values are and should deliver. It was a spirited conversation, as the three new people in the group had been through a similar process several years ago with a different framework. In the end, we agreed on definitions and moved forward—quite expeditiously, I thought—with a very productive session that the whole group was energized by.

The one thing you can do to drive clarity? Define your terms?before you start talking about them! (This is another reason acronyms are so challenging; we assume everyone knows what MSR means just to find out half the group has one definition and the other half a different one!)

Double Forte uses the following definitions for Vision, Mission, Values, Goal, and Strategy.

Vision: the result in the world (or industry, demographic, or community) you hope for

Mission: your role in helping create that vision

Values: the characteristics and behaviors you will exhibit together to help you live your mission

Goal: the tangible result of fully exercising your role in the vision

Strategy: how you intend to achieve your goal to drive differentiation and value

Many other frameworks exist, many of which are much more complicated. In the end, it doesn’t matter how you define these critical terms. What matters most is that everyone shares the same definition.