Your Mission, Vision, and Values (with Examples)
Summary
TLDRThis video delves into the concept of mission, vision, and values for organizations, emphasizing the importance of values as guiding principles. It explains the distinction between mission and vision statements, using examples like Heifer International and Netflix to illustrate their purpose. The script highlights the discrepancy between stated values and actual business practices, cautioning that while values are meant to unify and motivate, they are sometimes not reflected in reality, as seen in the Enron scandal. It concludes by encouraging viewers to reflect on their own values and those of their teams or organizations.
Takeaways
- 📜 A mission statement is a concise explanation of an organization's purpose, including its why, who, and sometimes how.
- 🎯 The mission statement serves as a daily job description for an organization, focusing on its ongoing activities.
- 🌟 Heifer International's mission statement exemplifies a clear why (end hunger and poverty), who (small-scale farmers and communities), and how (providing livestock, training, and services).
- 🔮 A vision statement outlines what an organization aspires the future to be, describing its long-term goal.
- 🎬 Netflix's original vision was to become the world's best global entertainment distribution service, illustrating a clear future goal.
- 🔄 The difference between mission and vision is that the mission is present-focused, while the vision is future-oriented.
- 🏛 Corporate values are the guiding principles and beliefs that direct a team or organization toward a common goal, akin to personal values.
- 🛍 Wegmans' values emphasize care for individuals, high standards, excellence, community impact, respect, listening, and empowerment.
- 📹 YouTube's values center on freedom of expression, information, opportunity, and belonging, which guide its platform and company operations.
- 🚢 Oyster values community deeply, considering its employees, customers, and stakeholders as one family, inspired by shared stories and adventures.
- 🤔 Organizations sometimes claim values they do not uphold, as seen with Enron's fall from grace despite professing respect, integrity, communication, and excellence.
- 💡 Honest self-reflection on an organization's values and behavior is crucial for alignment and authenticity in corporate culture.
Q & A
What is the primary purpose of a mission statement for an organization?
-A mission statement serves as a concise explanation of what an organization does, its assignment, and typically includes the why (contribution or benefit), the who (intended customer or community), and sometimes the how (distinctive strategy or approach).
Can you provide an example of a mission statement from the script?
-An example given in the script is Heifer International's mission statement: 'The mission of Heifer International is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth, by providing appropriate livestock, training, and related services to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide.'
What is the main difference between a mission statement and a vision statement?
-A mission statement describes the day-to-day job description of an organization and is focused on the present, while a vision statement explains the organization's overarching long-term goal and is focused on the future.
What was the original vision statement for Netflix mentioned in the script?
-The original vision statement for Netflix was 'Becoming the world's best global entertainment distribution service.'
What is the role of values in an organization?
-Values in an organization are the guiding principles and beliefs that help lead a team or organization toward a common goal, similar to personal values, and they are promoted to ensure the entire group is aligned.
How does Wegmans express its corporate values on their website?
-Wegmans states its values directly on their website, emphasizing care for every person's wellbeing and success, high standards, pursuit of excellence, making a difference in communities, respect and listening to people, and empowering people to make decisions.
What are YouTube's corporate values according to the script?
-YouTube values freedom of expression, freedom of information, freedom of opportunity, and freedom to belong.
How does Heifer International refer to its values on their website?
-Heifer International refers to its values as '12 cornerstones,' which are the principles that drive and motivate the way they do business.
What is an example of a company that did not live up to its published values?
-Enron is an infamous example of a company that claimed values of respect, integrity, communication, and excellence, but their actions were in stark contrast to these stated values, leading to illegal activities and bankruptcy.
What is the potential issue with organizations stating values they do not consistently uphold?
-When organizations do not live up to their stated values, it can lead to a disconnect between the company's image and its actual practices, potentially causing cynicism among employees and stakeholders.
What is the final call to action for the viewers in the script?
-The final call to action is for viewers to list their top three or four values that drive them personally or professionally, and to consider watching the first two videos in the series on mission and vision statements for a more comprehensive understanding.
Outlines
📜 Understanding Mission, Vision, and Values
This paragraph introduces the third video in a series focused on mission, vision, and values of an organization. The speaker emphasizes the importance of values and encourages viewers to consider their own professional or team values. A recap of the previous videos on mission and vision statements is provided, with examples like Heifer International's mission and Netflix's vision. The paragraph concludes by defining values as guiding principles that align an organization towards a common goal, similar to personal values.
🏪 Corporate Values in Practice
The second paragraph delves into the practical application of corporate values, using Wegmans and YouTube as examples. Wegmans' values are listed, emphasizing the company's focus on people's well-being and success, high standards, excellence, and community impact. YouTube's values revolve around various forms of freedom. The paragraph also discusses the importance of values being reflected in an organization's actions, not just stated on paper, with a cautionary note about the discrepancy between stated values and actual practices, referencing Enron as an example of a company that failed to live up to its stated values.
🤔 Reflecting on Personal and Organizational Values
In the final paragraph, the speaker prompts viewers to reflect on their personal values and those of their team or organization. The importance of honesty in aligning actions with stated values is highlighted, and the video series is positioned as a cohesive unit for understanding mission, vision, and values. The speaker signs off with well-wishes and an invitation to the next video, reinforcing the interconnectedness of the series' topics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mission Statement
💡Vision Statement
💡Values
💡Corporate Values
💡Day-to-Day Activities
💡Long-Term Goal
💡Guiding Principles
💡Behavior
💡Reputation
💡Consistency
Highlights
The video discusses mission, vision, and values of an organization.
Values are the third part of the three-part series after mission and vision.
The video challenges viewers to identify their top values as a professional or team.
Links to previous videos on mission and vision are provided in the description.
A mission statement is a concise job description for an organization focused on day-to-day activities.
Heifer International's mission statement is provided as an example.
A vision statement describes an organization's long-term goal and future aspirations.
Netflix's original vision statement is cited as an example.
The difference between mission and vision is clarified as present vs. future focus.
Corporate values explain guiding principles and beliefs leading a team or organization toward a common goal.
Values are compared to personal values, emphasizing their role in aligning an organization's culture.
Wegmans grocery store chain's values are shared as an example.
Values are generally not industry-specific and focus on general treatment of people and business conduct.
YouTube's corporate values of freedom are highlighted.
Heifer International's 12 cornerstones are mentioned as their values.
Oyster's value of community is described through their narrative about the company's people and customers.
Different approaches to communicating values, such as bulleted lists or narratives, are discussed.
The discrepancy between stated values and actual business practices is addressed, using Enron as an example.
The importance of honesty in aligning actions with stated values is emphasized.
The video concludes by encouraging viewers to reflect on their personal and organizational values.
Transcripts
- In this video we're gonna talk about mission, vision,
and specially the values an organization wants to uphold.
This is the third video in a three-part series
and we're going to emphasize the third part, values,
so let's get into the details.
(rock music)
At the end of this video I'm going to ask you
to list your top three or four values you want to live by
as a professional or as a team,
so keep that in mind as we go through this.
But first let's briefly recap the first two videos
in this three-part series for some context.
I'll put links to those videos on mission and vision
in the description below this one,
and if you've already watched those two videos
you can skip to the next part and go right to values.
Here's a recap.
A mission statement is a concise explanation
of what an organization does, its assignment.
Usually a mission statement has three parts.
It explains the why,
or the contribution or benefit
the organization is trying to make.
The who explains the intended customer or community
the organization wants to reach.
And sometimes it indicates the how,
the distinctive strategy or approach an organization takes.
So I'll put this in my own words by saying
that a mission statement is like a concise job description
for an entire organization
that focuses on its day-to-day activity.
So here's an excellent example of a mission statement
I referenced from an earlier video
from Heifer International, a nonprofit organization.
"The mission of Heifer International
"is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the Earth.
"Heifer does this by providing appropriate livestock,
"training and related services
"to small-scale farmers and communities worldwide."
If a total stranger walked up to a Heifer employee
and asked, "So, what does your organization do?"
This concise mission statement says it all for Heifer.
It explains the organization's why,
to end hunger and poverty.
Its who, small-scale farmers and their communities.
And its how, providing livestock, training,
and related services.
Next, a vision statement
is a concise statement that explains
what the organization wants the future to look like.
It describes the organization's overarching longterm goal.
In video number two in this series
we talked about the original vision statement for Netflix
from the CEO Reed Hastings.
That vision statement was,
"Becoming the world's best
"global entertainment distribution service."
It's very concise and it spells out exactly
where the CEO wanted the organization to go.
They wanted to be the world's best of its kind.
For lots of reasons,
many people are confused about the difference
between a mission statement and a vision statement.
So to keep it clear
it's best to think about a mission statement
as describing the day-to-day job description
of an organization,
and a vision statement is the longterm goal
of that organization.
The mission statement is focused on the present,
the vision statement is focused on the future.
In theory, the textbook approach to this would be
that an organization would spell out
its mission, vision, and values
really clearly on their website
and in any of the other corporate materials
and that these statements would all work together
in a cohesive way.
That's not always the case, but that's one approach.
And now let's turn to the topic of values.
Many organizations provide
both internal and external stakeholders
a concise explanation or a bulleted list
of the values the company wants to live by.
In short, corporate values explain
the guiding principles and beliefs
that help lead a team or organization
toward a common goal.
This is a lot like the personal values
that you hold dear in your own life.
You might want to be honest, hardworking,
and pursue excellence in everything you do.
Corporate values are the same,
except the organization would promote these core values
in an effort to get the entire group to take on these values
so that the whole enterprise is on the same page.
But just like in our own lives,
corporations do not always live by the values
they say they hold dear.
Sometimes organizations say they value one thing
but their behavior does something different.
But we will return to that issue
a little later in the video.
For the moment, let's look at some examples
from organizations that you may have heard of.
I talked about Wegmans in a previous video in this series,
and Wegmans is a respected grocery store chain
that has locations mostly in the Northeastern part
of the United States.
They have a great reputation
and on their website they state their values directly.
"We care about the wellbeing and success of every person.
"High standards are a way of life.
"We pursue excellence in everything we do.
"We make a difference in every community we serve.
"We respect and listen to our people.
"We empower our people to make decisions
"that improve their work
"and benefit our customers and our company."
You'll notice that these corporate values
don't say anything about a grocery store,
and that's not uncommon
in the value statements that you'll see from organizations.
Value statements are usually about the way
an organization wants to treat people generally
and how they want to do business generally.
Values are not typically industry-specific.
So let's talk about YouTube as a company.
Most of us think about YouTube as a place to watch videos
or, like me, post videos.
But it's also an organization that has values
that drive and motivate its leaders,
employees and decisions,
at least in theory,
and here are the corporate values I found about YouTube
as a company and as a platform.
YouTube values freedom of expression,
freedom of information, freedom of opportunity,
and freedom to belong.
Does YouTube as a company really live by
and uphold these values?
It's a good question,
but if you comment on that
I will stay out of the debate below.
In theory those are the values
that they at least say they are striving for.
Not all organizations will actually label these
in obvious ways as their corporate values.
They might just describe what the organization stands for
and what they're all about.
Heifer International, we mentioned earlier,
is a nonprofit organization
fighting to end hunger and poverty,
and on their website they call these
their 12 cornerstones.
But these are their values,
and I won't read them all off,
but these are the principles that drive and motivate
the way Heifer does business.
So whether they call them values
or cornerstones or core beliefs,
it's all the same concept.
Another organization I mentioned
in an earlier video in this series
was Oyster, a sailboat manufacturer.
They make high-end sailboats
that are meant to sail around the world.
Oyster doesn't have a bulleted list
of corporate values or cornerstones,
but they do talk on their website
about a deep sense of community.
This is the essential value that they hold dear.
They explain, "At the heart of Oyster are our people.
"Those who design and build these deck saloon yachts
"and those who own and love them.
"We think of ourselves as a family,
"inspired by each other,
"the stories we tell and the adventures we enjoy.
"I hope you will join us."
If you know what to listen for
you can hear that the value of community
is expressed in a couple of different ways.
They talk about their people who design and build the boats,
their customers who own and love the boats,
and they think of themselves as a family.
Those are all keywords that explain
this core value of community.
Whether it's a short or long bulleted list
or a narrative about what the company believes
is no right or wrong approach.
These are just different ways to communicate
the team's values.
Now let's turn back to an issue I mentioned earlier.
Just like in our personal lives,
we don't always measure up to the values
that we say we want to live by.
We may say we value honesty personally
but we may sometimes be dishonest,
even when we're trying.
And it's the same with organizations,
except that organizations are also under pressure
to establish a certain kind of reputation and public image.
It's a sad but true fact
that the fancy-sounding values of some organizations
on their websites and in their materials
have nothing to do with the actual way they do business.
An infamous example of this is the company called Enron.
The short version of the story
is that Enron was a controversial energy company,
that went bankrupt about 20 years ago
for a really long list of illegal,
unethical, immoral activities.
If there was a way to lie, cheat, and steal, Enron did it.
In retrospect, the corporate values published
in their company's materials were laughable.
They claimed that their corporate values were respect,
integrity, communication, and excellence.
That sounds good.
It spells out the acronym RICE, that was catchy.
The problem was that the company's leaders
didn't live by these values whatsoever.
Some of them went to prison.
And I'd like to say that Enron was an isolated incident,
but the corporate values that many organizations
say they follow
are not often consistent
with how their people actually do business
and how they treat each other in that organization.
This is one of the reasons why employees
sometimes get a little cynical about the values
that their organizations claim to live by.
I would say that most organizations
stick pretty closely to their mission
and they usually have a clear vision
that they actually are aiming for.
But when it comes to what they say they value
and how they treat people along the way,
many organizations fall short
of their own published principles.
I think that being honest about those shortcomings
is perhaps the first step in trying to do better.
So let's now turn to application.
If you had to list your top three or four values
that drive you personally,
what would they be?
Take a few minutes to think about that.
And if you're doing this with a team or organization,
what are the key values that you want to live by
as you do business?
If you have not yet watched the first two videos
in this three-part series on mission and vision statements,
I've put links to those videos
in the description below this one.
Feel free to check those out
because all three of these videos
are intended to be watched together.
Until next time, thanks, God bless,
and I will see you soon.
Ver Más Videos Relacionados
What is a Mission Statement?
Mission, Vision, & Values: Explained | Business + Corporate Strategy Course
The Mission, Vision, and Values statements
Vision, Mission, Value (With Examples and Tips) | From A Business Professor
ICTM Week 1 MIssion, Vision and Core Values
Fundamentals of Logic - Part 1 (Statements and Symbols)
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)