Leadership Development
Morgan Crawford
July 5, 2015
W.A.2
Vision and Mission Statements

A common question asked is “How and why is developing an effective vision and strategy essential to an organization's success?” Change in an organization can often be difficult and requires time. Many organizations are now turning to vision and mission statements to help clarify and communicate their purpose. Using these two key elements can make or break your strategies when it comes to obtaining and achieving their mission. What is a vision statement? Your vision is a dream that everyone can see! A vision statement defines and lets you know the desired future state, and gives you a mental picture of what your organization will achieve over time. Whatever your dream may be, it can be made clear by one or more vision statements. Why do you need a vision statement? Organizations need to know where they are heading and what they are trying to accomplish so they can state this clearly to the large group of people they are working with. Some examples of vision statements would be “safe streets, safe neighborhoods” or “ Every house a home.” These statements should be understood and be inspiring to everyone involved in your effort. So as you can see, your vision statement should inspire people to dream. What is a mission statement? This is a vision that is in more practical terms. A mission statement is an organization's core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time. This is the next step in the action planning process where an organization's mission statement describes what the group is going to do and why it’s going to do that. Mission