That’s why you need a clear vision, mission and values

We all like people. Hell, we even love them sometimes. Or we hate them. Sometimes we clearly know why we feel a certain way about someone and sometimes we can’t really put it into words. There is just something about him or her that gets our blood flowing, or boiling.

Brands are a lot like people. They have a personality, which you either like, or don’t. They have a look, which you find attractive, or not. And they behave, act and interact continuously, which can be fun or useful, or again, not. There is, however, one not so unimportant difference between people and brands, and it has to do with their inner circle, that group of close friends and relatives that follow your every move. Whilst this ranges for people between let’s say 15 and 55 people, for brands it’s more between 40 and 80, million that is. That inner circle of brands is what we call customers. And they are sometimes more difficult to charm than your mother-in-law.

With new brands and companies entering practically every market at exponential speeds, as a brand you need to live up to much higher expectations than ever before. And that’s exactly what’s so great about today’s commercial and business environment. New types of customers, new types of employees, global competition, easy access and direct customers relationships, all require companies and brands to simply be genuinely better at what they do. To be more conscious about their every move.

As a brand, you need to be and stay relevant. Start from a strong core, use it as your basecamp for continuous development but stay true to it. This core is your vision, mission and values. It’s what defines your identity, it’s what makes you ‘yourself’, and when used consistently, it’s your ticket to Disneyland.

Your vision focuses on the future and what your organization ultimately wants to become. It is the overarching goal of the company and sets the direction. The vision describes why we do what we do. Your mission focuses on today and what the organization does to achieve the vision. It determines the objectives and actions, it is as it were the roadmap for your vision. The mission describes what we do, for whom and how we do this. Your values are your guiding principles, they define how we behave and which aspects are sacred to us.

When in doubt about the need for a clear corporate identity (vision, mission, values), just stick to these 3 simple checks. Would you like more efficient decision-making, clear direction for your employees and increased consistency for your customers? Seems like a no-brainer, right?

Your vision, mission and values provide you the framework to do all that, and much more. When you know where you’re going, you know which turns to take and which shots to call. It’s about bringing your identity to life, so your decisions need to match it and reinforce it. It’s a commitment to yourself. In turn, your employees get more clarity, as they will more easily understand their role in the bigger picture. More clarity leads to greater ownership and accountability, more empowerment and thus fulfilled and happier people. If you know and value who you are, it’s your roadmap for your go-to-market approach, it’s your promise to live up to every single day. Every. Single. Day.

We are living in exciting times. Times where companies need to stand for something. Basta. If you don’t stand for something, you stand for nothing. And that’s commercial suicide. Adios.