Fact vs. future
Despite many articles and books being written (including this one) that clearly outline the differences between a vision and mission statement, organisations and their leaders still get it wrong.
For clarity the difference between the two is as follows:
A vision is a statement of your cultural aspiration. It's the future you're brave enough to imagine and honest enough to believe in. When you get it right, people lean in. They want to be part of it. They can see themselves in that future.
A vision isn’t a game of mad-libs with complex word salads created during full-day offsites. It’s a well thought out (short) statement that excites people and generates intrinsic motivation.
A mission? That's just the facts. It's what you do, who you serve, how you show up in the world. No workshop, no poetry, just clarity.
Yet many mission statements still read like a dating profile — trying so hard to be everything to everyone that they end up being nothing to anyone and generating confused looks instead.
If you're going to invest time in defining the key elements of your culture, do it with conviction and purpose. Your best talent can spot the difference between authentic cultural aspirations and corporate theatre from a mile away.
They're not just reading your vision and mission statements — they're deciding whether your organisation is worthy of their energy, creativity and commitment. When you treat culture as a box-ticking exercise rather than a strategic priority, you're not just wasting time — you're actively signalling to your best people that the future they want to be part of lies elsewhere.
