Why Vision, Purpose and Values are Still Important

          Every organization has some stated (or unstated) vision and purpose that describes the basic objective the organization wants to achieve. Regardless of how well the members of the organization might know and be able to recite the vision and purpose statements, this alone cannot guarantee that the organization will be successful in reaching its main objective. Success, as defined by the organization’s vision and purpose, depends on all its members also sharing a set of core values and the belief that the vision can and will become reality as the organization fulfills its purpose. The degree to which each member understands and agrees with these three major pillars (vision, purpose, and values) will determine in large part how successful the organization can be at reaching its desired objective. Failure to lead the organization’s members to share these same basic beliefs will doom the organization to mediocrity at best if it ever reaches any of its stated objectives. In successful organizations, the individual members form an interdependent relationship in which each one helps the organization to reach its objectives as the organization helps the members to reach their own.

Vision
          The shared vision is the “What,” the picture of the future we are trying to create. While top leadership voices the corporate vision, in reality this is often only a restatement of the leader’s own personal vision. Everyone cannot be the visionary leader. Everyone can, however, have their own idea of what they want to accomplish, what they want to see become a reality in their own life. The corporate vision cannot be realized apart from individuals whose personal visions are in alignment with the corporate vision. By helping individuals to understand their own dreams and life goals, the organization can then help them to see how they can reach their personal vision by contributing to the corporate vision. For the vision to be truly shared, it must be rooted in individual visions.

Purpose
          Purpose explains the “Why.” “Why do we exist as an organization?” In carrying out the vision, the purpose helps clarify what unique contribution the organization is making to the world. Again, as the individuals who make up the organization understand their purpose in life, they have greater potential to contribute to the organization’s purpose to the extent that these are in alignment.

          Rick Warren, in The Purpose Driven Life, states clearly that we can only find meaning for our lives as we recognize that we have been created with a purpose and that individual purpose “fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.” Warren also notes the need for community to fulfill our individual purposes. In effect, the organization has no purpose apart from the individual purposes of the people who form part of the organization.

Values
          Core values define what is important to us and determine “How do we want to act?” Our shared core values help us to act in ways that are consistent with our mission (purpose) as we proceed toward realizing the vision.

          Vision, purpose (mission), and values together form the framework to answer the question, “What do we believe in?” The extent to which each individual’s vision, purpose and values coincide with, support or are enhanced by the corporate vision, purpose and values will determine the extent to which the individual will want to contribute to the organization’s focus. This is why it is so important to talk about the vision, purpose and values at every level of the organization constantly. As people talk about the vision, it becomes increasingly clear and enthusiasm grows as the vision becomes a shared vision. Individuals who seem fulfilled, satisfied and enthusiastic about their jobs will most likely see how the organization is providing them an opportunity to contribute to something they already saw as important to them.

          On the other hand, individuals who seem frustrated, unfulfilled and apathetic about their jobs probably have not been able to see how the organization’s vision, purpose and values align with their own. Rather than being forced to sacrifice one’s personal vision for the larger cause, these individuals need help seeing how the two can be complementary. Diversity of views can be a source of strength as the vision is clarified. The key to keeping the diverse views from derailing the vision is in learning to assimilate those views that “harmonize” to enhance and enlarge the vision.