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Dissect an inspiring vision statement, and you'll find all the elements that pull a company into the future.
It sure looks pretty," John said as he turned to Susan and flashed a cynical smile.
"You mean it sounds pretty?" Susan asked, confused.
"No, I mean it looks pretty." John reached out and reverently placed his hand on the elegant plaque. "Sort of makes you want to...what? Kneel down?"
Susan laughed nervously. "It doesn't make me want to kneel down."
"You're right," John said. "It makes you want to...to...laugh" He looked at her seriously and then exploded in laughter.
Susan looked around. "John, stop. Someone will hear you. This is our vision statement, for heaven' sake."
John flicked the plaque with his index finger. "Vision? Really? I didn't know. I thought it was entertainment for visitors." He shook his head and walked away.
Susan studied the vision statement for a few minutes. She concluded that John was politically incorrect-and right.
Visions and Baloney
We've got vision, but we can't see. That seems to be the situation in many companies. We can't live without vision, although organizations do manage to extend their death throes for several years in a visionless state. And very often, we can't live with vision eitherat least not with the concepts that so often masquerade as a guide to the future.
The vision statements of many organizations make their readers feel as if they are drowning in warm maple syrup. Just listen to some of these excerpts:
"We will exceed our customers' expectations every day in every way." (Best Products Co.)
"Building on the base of our proud past, we're now creating our own future." (Austin Industries)
"Giving our customers...what they want all the time, every time, on time." (Gerber)
Reading enough corporate vision statements can lead a person to conclude that the ideal statement for many organizations would read something like this: We are a terrific organization made up of terrific employees who provide our terrific customers with terrific products and services. God bless us everyone.
Statements like these don't do justice to a company's core values. Or is it that these statements come into being because we don't have any core values to begin with?
And then there's the...