How to formulate a strong vision statement for your company

A vision statement is a central component of a company's strategic direction. It describes where the company wants to develop in the long term and which overarching goals it is pursuing. Unlike the mission statement, which defines the purpose and day-to-day activities of a company, the vision statement focuses on the future and the direction in which the company is heading. In this guide, you will learn why a vision statement is important, how you can formulate it and get some inspiring vision examples. We will also show you how Dialogbild can help you to visually present your corporate vision.

What is a vision statement?

A vision statement is a clear and concise statement that describes the long-term goal or ideal future state of a company. It serves as a "north star" that sets the direction the company wants to head in. The vision statement is intended to inspire, both for employees and external stakeholders such as customers or partners.

In contrast, the mission statement describes the purpose of the company and what it is doing today to fulfill that purpose. Both mission and vision play an important role in the company's strategy and should be well aligned.

Why is a vision statement important?

A well-written vision statement offers your company numerous benefits:

1. Long-term orientation: It gives everyone in the company - from management to employees - a clear idea of where the company wants to go.

2. Motivation and inspiration: A strong company vision motivates your employees to identify with the company's goals and gives them a greater sense of purpose in their daily work.

3. Strategic alignment: It helps in prioritizing projects and decisions because it serves as a guide that ensures that all activities are aligned with the long-term goal.

4. External trust: Customers, partners and investors are convinced by a clearly formulated vision because they gain confidence in the future of your company.

Flowchart: The classic form of process visualization

A flowchart is one of the most commonly used tools for process visualization. It shows the flow of a process in the form of symbols and arrows that represent the order of the individual steps and the relationships between them.

Important symbols in flowcharts:

Oval: start and end point of a process.
Rectangle: A process step or task.
Diamond: A decision that can direct the process in different directions.
Arrows: Connections between the individual steps that represent the process.

A flowchart offers a clear and well-organized structure that allows processes to be quickly grasped and understood. It also helps to recognize dependencies and interactions between the individual steps of the process.

How to formulate a vision

Creating a vision statement requires careful thought and a clear strategic direction. Here are the steps that can help you formulate your vision for the company:

1. Define the long-term goals

Think about where you want your company to be in five, ten, or even twenty years. What ideal state do you want to achieve? A company vision should be ambitious, yet realistic. It's about painting a picture of the future that inspires and serves as a goal for the entire company.

2. Include the company's purpose and values

A strong vision statement should align with your company's values and purpose. What core beliefs guide your company? How do they influence your long-term goals? The connection between the values and the vision ensures that the company vision is not just an empty promise, but is deeply rooted in the company culture.

3. Be clear and concise

A company vision should be clear, concise and easy to understand. Avoid complex sentences or overly long explanations. A good vision statement is often just one sentence or a short paragraph that sums up the future of your company.

4. Consider the target audience

Who should be inspired by your vision? Think not only of your employees, but also of customers, partners and investors. The vision statement should be formulated in such a way that it is motivating and credible for all target groups.

5. Stay authentic

Avoid being too vague or general. A real company vision should be authentic and reflect exactly what makes your company unique.

Vision examples – inspiration for your company vision

It is often helpful to look at some examples of successful company visions to get inspiration for your own formulation. Here are some well-known vision examples:

1. Microsoft: “To empower every individual and every organization on the earth to accomplish more.”

This vision is ambitious and refers to the use of technology to maximize the potential of people and companies.

2. Tesla: “To accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy”

Tesla's vision is clear and direct. It focuses on the long-term goal of converting the world to sustainable energy sources.

3. Amazon: “To be the world's most customer-centric company.”

Amazon's vision puts the customer at the center and describes the ambition to be the world leader in customer orientation.

4. IKEA: “To create a better everyday life for the many people.”

IKEA combines simplicity with a big social goal that reflects their philosophy of affordability and functionality.

Vision and Mission - The Difference

A vision statement describes the future state your company is aiming for, while the mission statement explains how you plan to achieve that goal. The company vision sets the long-term direction, while the mission describes how you work today to get closer to that goal.

Company vision - Practical tips for wording

A good company vision is more than just a nice quote. It should have a deep meaning and paint a clear picture of the future. Here are some additional tips:

Ambitious but realistic: The vision should be ambitious but achievable. Unrealistic goals can demotivate.
Inspiring: Your vision statement should inspire employees and stakeholders to identify with your company's long-term goals.
Future-oriented: Focus on what you want to achieve in the long term, not just short-term goals.

How Dialogbild can help visualize your vision

A vision statement alone is often not enough to truly anchor the company vision. Visual communication plays a crucial role in making your vision come alive and tangible for all employees. Dialogbild is a specialized agency that helps you communicate your vision and mission visually.

This is how Dialogbild supports your company:

Individual visual representations: We develop customized explanatory images that present your company vision clearly and in a visually appealing way.
Support with process communication: Our images help to integrate the vision into everyday work and align all employees with the long-term goal.
Training and onboarding: Our visual solutions make it easier to quickly instruct new employees in your vision and company culture, which improves the onboarding process and accelerates integration.

AUTONEUM VALUES

Autoneum is an international company that produces innovative acoustic and thermal management solutions for the automotive industry. Headquartered in Switzerland and with a global presence in over 20 countries, Autoneum offers a wide range of products to improve the comfort and safety of vehicles.

The company was founded in 2011 and has established itself as a leading supplier in its field. With a dedicated team and a strong focus on customer service, Autoneum strives to build long-term partnerships with car manufacturers and meet their needs in the best possible way. ...

QUALITY FOR LIFE

THE MISSION STATEMENT

AL-KO Therm provides for a perfect climate with individualized, economic and ecological concepts. The enterprise is a specialist in ventilation equipment which is characterized by the latest technology, quality, reliability and consistently meeting customer requirements. It has developed sophisticated high tech facilities with the best room air quality in office buildings or hospitals and precisely controlled air in production facilities as well as for effective solutions for large commercial or leisure complexes. The most attention is given to the development of energy-economical technology for environmental discharge and cost reduction. ...

BASF Schwarzheide GmbH

BASF Schwarzheide GmbH is an industrial beacon in Lusatia and has been part of the BASF Group since 1990. More than 2,000 employees produce chemical specialties at the production site in southern Brandenburg. The product range includes polyurethane base products and systems, crop protection agents, water-based coatings, engineering plastics, foams, dispersions, laromers and, from 2022, battery materials. The site is growing and has set itself the goal of CO2-neutral production in the future and piloting the integration of renewable energies. ...

MISSION STATEMENT: VISION & VALUES

COURAGE, SUSTAINABILITY, HONESTY, PRIDE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP

How do we manage to deliver our vision and strategy to our employees, to bring everyone to a common understanding and to embed them into the (future) work to ensure that our bank is aligned as stable, successful and future-proof? How do we manage to deliver the path of our vision and strategy with the same content into our house, without losing important integral facts, or rather, to create room for interpretation through a new choice of words? These questions gave us the idea to translate our formulated vision and strategy into a picture-based language, true to the adage: “a picture says more than 1,000 words.”

What is a vision statement?
A vision statement describes the long-term goal or ideal future state of a company. It sets out the direction in which the company wants to develop and serves as a guide for strategic decisions. It is intended to inspire and motivate both employees and external stakeholders such as customers or partners.

What is the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?
A vision statement describes the long-term direction and desired future image of a company. The mission statement, on the other hand, describes the current purpose of the company and what it is doing to achieve this goal. While the vision statement is future-oriented, the mission statement focuses on the present.

Why is a vision statement important for a company?
A strong vision statement offers numerous benefits:

Long-term orientation: It helps the company set a clear direction for the future.
Motivation and inspiration: It motivates employees and stakeholders to identify with the company's goals and work to achieve them.
Strategic alignment: It serves as a basis for prioritizing projects and decisions to ensure that all activities are aligned with the long-term goal.

How do you formulate a vision statement?
When formulating a vision statement, you should consider the following steps:

Define long-term goals: Where should the company be in the future?
Include values and beliefs: How do they fit with the long-term goal?
Be clear and concise: The statement should be simple and easy to understand.
Target audience taken into account: It should be motivating for both internal employees and external partners.
Authenticity: The vision should be authentic and reflect the company's unique direction.

Can a vision statement change?
Yes, a vision statement can change over time as a company's business strategy or long-term goals evolve. It is important that the vision statement is always relevant and adapted to current market conditions and company goals.

How does a corporate vision differ from a vision statement?
The term corporate vision is often used synonymously with the vision statement. A corporate vision describes the long-term goals and desired future vision of a company. The vision statement is the formal, written statement of that vision.

Can you give examples of vision statements?
Here are some vision examples from well-known companies:

Microsoft: “Creating a world where every person and every company can achieve more.”
Tesla: “Accelerating the transition to sustainable energy.”
Amazon: “To be the most customer-centric company in the world.”

How does a vision statement help in daily business?
A vision statement provides orientation in daily business. It serves as a guide for strategic decisions, product development and customer interactions. Employees can see their daily tasks in the context of long-term goals, which increases their motivation and makes the company more productive overall.

How can Dialogbild help with the visualization of a vision statement?
Dialogbild is an agency that specializes in the visual communication of company visions. We help you to present your vision clearly and understandably by developing customized explanatory images. These visual representations make your vision tangible and make it easier for your employees and partners to identify with the company's long-term goals.

Why is visualizing a vision statement important?
The visual representation of a vision statement makes it easier for employees and stakeholders to imagine and identify with the long-term goals. A picture often says more than words and ensures that the vision is remembered and serves as a clear reference point.