STEP FIVE
Stating Mission, Vision, and Values
OVERVIEW
Defining mission, vision, and values
Creating a mission statement and objectives
Writing a clear vision statement
Stating the organization's values and desired behaviors
When a marketing professor interviewed various successful chief executive officers, he asked them what they saw as the most valuable underused asset in business. Their first response was human resources; the second was the mission statement. In further discussions, the CEOs talked about how most organizations write a mission statement and then use it only occasionally in new employee orientations, sales meetings, and the like. All too often it is seen as “just a statement about the organization.” We believe, instead, that the mission statement should be an introduction to all who touch the organization—customers, business partners, employees, and even the general public. This statement should inspire all of these groups to support and work with the organization to carry out its mission.
A mission statement should be a brief, clear declaration about why your organization exists. It gives the organization a framework for devising the services, products, and programs it will offer its customers in fulfillment of that mission. But it's much more than a framework for the rest of the organization's strategy. Table 5.1 lists the many ways that a mission statement can be used.
POINTER
When a marketing professor interviewed various successful CEOs, he asked what they saw as the most valuable underused asset in business. First answer: human resources; second: the mission statement.
In this step we'll explain the process and give you tools for creating mission, vision, and values statements for your organization. As you develop specific tactics and action plans in crafting a strategy, the mission statement helps ensure that what you're planning actually will deliver what the organization needs. The vision statement will define where your organization is going in the future. The values statements will guide how your executives, managers, and employees behave in the present and the future. Specifically, this step focuses on
defining mission, vision, and values statements
setting an agenda for creating mission, vision, and values statements
reviewing key findings from the analysis completed in Step 4
creating a mission statement and objectives
creating a vision statement
creating values statements.
First we'll look at the details of three brief case studies to see how these statements affected the organizations involved.
Case Examples: Mission and Vision Statements
These case examples demonstrate how organizations have developed and used mission, vision, and values statements in their strategic planning.
Ryan's Revises Its Mission and Vision to Match Its Expansion
Ryan's Trains began as a store selling model trains, but it's become much more. It now sells model trains, toy trains, mementos, and collectibles. Ryan's recently began a franchise system and purchased an old train station that's being renovated into a train amusement park.
TABLE 5.1
Uses of a Mission Statement
| Use | Definition of Use |
| To gain commitment | The mission statement can be used or presented to gain buy-in to the organization's function, customer base, processes, and purpose. |
| To serve as a communication device | The mission statement can be used to communicate with employees, customers, competitors, business partners, stakeholders, sponsors, and others in the larger community about what the organization does; how and why it does it; and to whom it offers its products, services, and programs. |
| To serve as a marketing slogan | Because the mission statement is concise, it can be used in materials, Webpages, and other communication devices to market the organization's services, programs, and products. |
| To set expectations | The mission statement can be used to describe the role the organization will play in the community and the industry, and to clarify what it expects from those who work with it. |
| To initiate dialogue | The mission statement can be used to open a conversation with others or to introduce the organization to customers, employees, business partners, and people who may not know of its services, products, and programs. |
When the strategic planners began reviewing the existing plan, they suggested that the previous mission (“Ryan's Trains provides children and adults with high-quality train models at the most affordable price and with the highest customer care”) was outdated. After a brainstorming session, the new mission statement became “Ryan's Trains offers a variety of high-quality opportunities for families to engage in activities that support learning about trains and increase interest in the train industry.”
The values statements that were original to Ryan's were still valid, and the planning group updated the vision to reflect the three- to four-year plan for the company.
Crafting a Vision Statement That Reveals the Future
Endicott Services is a consulting firm that supplies project personnel for companies worldwide. The firm's mission statement reads, “We provide high-quality individuals internationally to lead and/or support projects that increase productivity, profitability, and the quality of our clients' organizations.”
Endicott's strategic planning group agreed that the mission statement still reflects the company's business and the environment in which it works. The group also reviewed and approved these values statements:
We will represent Endicott in all our client and community relationships by behaving ethically.
We will be fiscally responsible in our actions, both for our client and our company.
We will be creative and innovative when attacking project issues and problems.
We will manage change by respecting the scope, schedule, and budget of the project.
We will demand two-way communications to solve all problems.
We will be ready and able to face and manage any and all conflicts.
The vision statement, however, did need to reflect a new direction for the company. Previously, the vision statement had been directed at developing a comprehensive training program for new employees so that they readily could act as Endicott representatives on any client's project. The new vision written by the planning group is, “Within three years, Endicott Services will develop a new income stream by devising a leading-edge project management system that will help our clients manage project tasks, cost, timeframe, people, and scope.”
Writing Statements That Garner Support for Good Causes
ACT (Animals, Care and Treatment) is a not-for-profit organization that cares for mistreated animals and places them in new homes where they will be loved and well cared for. The organization realized during fundraising that well-defined mission, vision, and values statements would help it raise much-needed funds from individuals, corporations, and foundations.
At an off-site planning retreat, the group dedicated part of its agenda time to writing its new mission, vision, and values statements. The group brainstormed, reviewed other organizations' statements, and used criteria to evaluate the worth of the statements they wrote.
When their statements were finished, everyone at the retreat was surprised by how much they benefited fundraising, marketing, and volunteer recruiting efforts, and their work with veterinarians who contributed care pro bono. Here are the statements written by ACT's strategy planners:
Mission: Our mission is to provide top-quality care to animals that have been mistreated and that demand our love and attention to transform them into functioning pets for adoption into loving homes.
Vision: Our vision is, within three years, to develop a 200- patient facility, and to place more than 2,000 pets in good- quality homes.
Values: Our values are to respect animal rights, promote animal well-being, and develop relationships between animals and humans for the benefit of both parties.
Defining Mission, Vision, and Values Statements
Although mission, vision, and values statements often are grouped together, each of them contributes something different to the organization in executing the strategy.
The mission statement is concise and direct. It specifies the reason for the organization and what sets it apart from the competition and other similar organizations. It should address the following issues:
1. the reason the organization exists
2. who the organization serves (the main customer or client)
3. the value of the organization to others.
The mission statement rarely needs updating unless there is a major change or reorganization in the company—a product expansion, shifting customer demographics, or operational upheaval.
The vision statement, on the other hand, tends to remain current for only two to four years. It describes where the organization is going or how its future is imagined, and tends to be more idealistic and inspirational than does the mission statement. It should address these issues:
1. the future direction of the company
2. a measurement (time required/allotted, degree/percentage of change, increase/decrease in dollars) that defines the future change
3. how the organization will look when the strategy has been met
4. the organization's message in realistic and credible terms consistent with its mission and values.
Values statements identify the traits, behaviors, or qualities that typify the organization's actions. The values statements should
1. define how employees, managers, and executives behave
2. reflect the values of management, the board of directors/trustees, and any others who ultimately dictate the organization's actions
3. be the values of those employed by the organization
4. define the foundation of the organizational culture (how all members will walk the talk)
5. drive company decisions.
Table 5.2 illustrates how the mission, vision, and values statements affect relationships between the company and its customers, the company and its business partners, between product development and execution, and between the present and the future. Column 1 gives examples of the relationships, and columns 2, 3, and 4 identify how the mission, vision, and values affect those relationships.
Setting an Agenda for Creating the Mission, Vision, and Values Statements
It can be very productive for the strategic planning group to hold a brainstorming session to develop mission, vision, and values statements. The content of the agenda depends on your group's working relationships; how long members have been with the organization; and how much each member knows about the findings, conclusions, and recommendations arrived at in Step 4. Tool 5.1 contains three suggested agendas. The first column describes three planning group scenarios that indicate factors to consider in setting the duration and agenda for your next meeting. Choose the scenario that best describes your group's circumstances, and then consult the second column for agenda items and amounts of time to allot to each.
It may be advisable to have a representative from the HR department facilitate the brainstorming session or to hire a facilitator from outside the organization to do so. The facilitator must be unbiased about what the mission, vision, and values statements contain.
Reviewing Key Findings
If the strategic planning group was not intimately involved in analyzing the data, identifying conclusions, and creating recommendations, it's wise to review and process the findings with members before creating the mission statement and objectives. Processing these findings gives group members an opportunity to question the findings, understand the conclusions, and come to their own decisions about how the information gathered affects the strategic plan and the mission, vision, and values.
TABLE 5.2
How the Mission, Vision, and Values Statements Affect Entities Related to the Organization
TOOL 5.1
Suggested Agendas for Creating Mission, Vision, and Values Statements
| Group Scenario | Suggested Agenda Items and Timing |
| The group has not participated in the analysis and is either seeing the information from the data gathering or discussing it as a group for the first time. The group has little experience working together and group norms are unknown, so more time will be needed to build trust and a working relationship. Several new people have joined the group since the process began, and they need to be oriented. The mission, vision, and values may need to be updated or to be written from scratch. | Schedule a full-day meeting to
|
| Various individuals or subgroups own parts of the strategy and will be responsible for building the tactics and identifying and prioritizing the resources. This session needs to refocus the group on the mission and look ahead so the rest of the steps can be completed. The group has previously shared in the analysis and interpretation of the data and is ready to create the mission statement. The mission, vision, and values may need to be updated. | Schedule a half-day meeting to
|
| The group has a strong working relationship, forged over more than a year. Mapping of the business drivers and organization were successfully done and agreed on by all members. The group has shared in the analysis and interpretation of the data and is ready to write the mission statement. Group members are committed to building tactics and action plans and to determining resources together. It has been agreed that the mission and values are current and do not need to be updated. | Schedule a two-hour meeting to
|
To prepare for the findings review, send everyone involved in creating the mission, vision, and values statements a copy of the key findings, conclusions, and recommendations and a key findings worksheet (worksheet 5.1). This worksheet was designed to help group members think about what the findings, conclusions, and recommendations mean in relation to creating the mission statement, objectives, and strategic plan. Each group member should complete the worksheet before the brainstorming meeting to generate thoughts and discussion items. Send an accompanying cover letter that explains how members should use the materials to prepare for the meeting.
If the group is large, you may want to break it into small groups for discussion and then come together for a final facilitation period. Regardless of group size, the following process will help facilitate the discussion:
Using a flipchart, list the findings, conclusions, and recommendations that surprised members of the group. As you list these items, identify why the item was surprising:
Was it new information?
Is it contrary to what he or she previously thought?
If the employee is new to the group, is it different from what he or she has been accustomed to?
Is the item representative of a change in the organization, the culture, the customer group, the environment, or some other factor?
Is there comfort or discomfort in the surprise?
What may ease any discomfort (for example, more information)?
With a list you've created beforehand (perhaps on a flipchart, a PowerPoint slide, or an overhead transparency), review the findings and identify the conclusions and recommendations that the group supports and is comfortable with.
WORKSHEET 5.1
Review of Key Findings
| Findings Review Question | Your Thoughts |
| 1. Were you surprised by any of the key findings, conclusions, or recommendations? If so, what was surprising to you, and why? | |
| 2. Did any of the key findings, conclusions, or recommendations make you uncomfortable? If so, what about the information made you uncomfortable, and why? | |
| 3. Which of the key findings, conclusions, or recommendations provided information that you think is crucial to include in some form in the strategic plan? Why is it important, or what is important about it? | |
| 4. On what information do you think it important that specific groups, departments, or individuals act? Why do you think it is important that they specifically should be assigned to this information or finding? | |
| 5. As a result of reviewing this information, what one thing above all others should the organization champion within the strategic plan, and why? | |
| 6. What key information was conveyed to you when you reviewed the cause-and-effect diagram? |
Identify the conclusions and recommendations that the group does not feel comfortable with. Probe to learn more:
What is the discomfort?
Will the discomfort affect their creating the mission statement or objectives and, if so, how?
How can the group members become more comfortable—what do they need to do or know? (It's important to acknowledge the discomfort at this point, but also to determine if the discomfort is a show-stopper.)
When the group or subgroups have discussed the findings, use the following questions for a final discussion:
1. What information in the findings, conclusions, and recommendations do you think should influence the mission statement, and how?
2. Do the findings, conclusions, and recommendations influence what you think about the strategy's mission statement and objectives?
3. What information do you think is critical to include in the mission statement?
4. What information do you think is critical to include in the mission objectives?
5. What information should not be included at this time? Why?
6. What information should be provided to others for action, with the caveat that it is not something the organization is working on at this time?
Creating a Mission Statement
The mission statement should answer five questions:
1. Why does the organization exist? What is its value to its customers, its stakeholders, and its business partners?
2. Who is the organization's customer base? Is it a specific demographic group? Is it a group involved in a specific activity, such as skiing or teaching science?
3. What function(s) does the organization perform for its customers?
TOOL 5.2
Brainstorming Guidelines
1. Everyone should participate.
2. Don't evaluate your ideas—just get them out of your head and up on the flipchart or whiteboard. Speak whatever comes to you—don't hold back.
3. Don't evaluate others' ideas—it slows down the process and isn't productive.
4. There is no wrong answer or bad idea in a brainstorming session.
5. Piggybacking, or adding onto someone else's idea, is encouraged.
4. How does the organization do its work or fill its function(s)?
5. If the organization did not exist, what would be absent in the marketplace?
If the mission statement answers these questions, it will express the scope and direction of the organization's activities and form a basis for the decisions on objectives, tactics, and resources for the strategic plan. The mission statement also guides members of the strategic planning group in communicating what the organization does and why, and helps articulate why the organization can and cannot be involved in specific work.
Because much of this work is done in brainstorming sessions, we've included some useful brainstorming guidelines for you to share with the group. You'll find them in tool 5.2.
Example 5.1 offers some sample mission statements for your review. Share them with your group at the outset to “prime the pump” or reserve them for that time when the group gets stuck in writing its own statement.
Here are some key questions to ask as you brainstorm words and phrases that convey your organization's purpose and objectives:
EXAMPLE 5.1
Sample Mission Statement
| Organization Function and Customer | Mission Statement |
| Health-care maintenance organization providing eldercare | Fincon Care ensures that senior citizens receive highest quality, easily accessible services at understandable contract terms. |
| Software development company selling a range of products for small businesses | Supporting the growth of small businesses by providing a suite of software products that make day-to-day activities more cost efficient and effective, thereby increasing productivity and decreasing overhead costs to the client. |
| Sales and marketing firm focusing on organic food products | Offering the highest quality in food products to decrease exposure to insecticides and other poisons in our environment. |
| Financial and insurance product company selling to individuals and organizations looking for a complete product line from one source | $afe$ure provides a family of cost-effective insurance and financial products to a wide range of customers. |
1. What does your organization mean to your customers, business partners, the public, management, employees, and executives?
2. What core purpose or theme runs across all of the organization's audiences—customers, business partners, the public, management, employees, and executives?
3. In what ways is the organization not of value to your customers, business partners, the public, management, employees, and executives?
4. Why does your organization exist or continue to exist?
When the group has compiled some descriptive and meaningful words and phrases, the “time is write.” Compose a draft of the mission statement. If the company already has a statement, be sure you have a copy on hand, either displayed or photocopied for each group member. By writing the mission statement in parts, you can revise each part until you have phrases you believe reflect the scope and direction of your strategic plan. Tool 5.3 identifies the five parts of the mission statement, suggests questions that reveal those parts, and offers examples.
When the group has completed a draft of the mission statement, evaluate it against the criteria set out in worksheet 5.2. Consistency with these criteria will ensure that your mission statement is strong and that it's useful in validating the objectives you specify for your strategic plan (the next creative task we'll tackle).
Creating Mission Objectives
Mission objectives communicate your ultimate purpose or intention for devising the strategic plan. They state the direction you will take and the goals you have. They evolve from your mission statement, and, as you formulate each objective, ask two questions:
1. Does this objective support our mission?
2. By fulfilling this objective, will we meet our mission?
Take a look at example 5.2. There you'll find a sample mission statement and the objectives that flow from it.
Before you begin to write the strategic plan's objectives, you need to understand that these objectives aren't your tactics; nor do they state how you'll respond to the recommendations generated by your data analysis. All of that will come later as you build the specific quantitative action plans or tactical plan for the strategic plan. To help you grasp the difference between objectives and tactics, we suggest you look at example 5.3. The sample is a training company's mission objectives compared with the tactics it proposes to accomplish those objectives.
To develop the objectives for your mission, you'll need copies of your mission statement and the findings, conclusions, and recommendations from your data analysis. Work with your group to identify at least three but no more than five objectives that reveal the company's purpose and its competitive advantage—why the company is more valuable than others in the same business. Ultimately, these objectives will help you measure how well the company performs.
TOOL 5.3
Parts of the Mission Statement
| Mission Statement Part | Defining Probes | Example |
| Reason the organization exists | What is our organization's purpose?
|
To provide cost-effective and appropriate health-care services to low-income families |
| Organization's customer base | What are the personal and household demographics of our customer base?
|
Our customers are often single-parent families who are at or under the poverty level and have no health insurance. We serve our customers by being in locations where public transportation is easily available and we are open 24 hours a day. |
| Organization's product line or service supplied to our customer | What do we actually provide to customers?
|
We provide basic preventive and urgent health-care and prescription services to families. We are funded partially by the government and partially through fundraising efforts in the community. |
| Process used to supply product | Who are the suppliers?
|
We use generic drug products from pharmaceutical companies and low-cost hospital products from general health-care suppliers. The suppliers themselves donate much of the general supply. |
| Marketplace conditions if our organization did not exist | What would happen if we didn't exist?
|
There is no current supplier in the community that does what we do. Our community would be at greater risk for large-scale breakouts of disease and infection. The families we serve would have a decreased quality of life. |
WORKSHEET 5.2
Criteria for Effective Mission Statements
| Criterion | Does Your Mission Statement Meet the Criterion? |
| 1. It is concise and to the point. | Yes  No |
| 2. It is fewer than 100 words in length. | Yes No |
| 3. It defines a scope on which to base strategy decisions. | Yes No |
| 4. It establishes why we exist. | Yes No |
| 5. It reflects our competence. | Yes No |
| 6. It provides focus. | Yes No |
| 7. It gives us some degree of flexibility. | Yes No |
| 8. [if the statement is for a unit or department within an organization] It is linked to or supports our organization's mission statement. | Yes No |
| 9. It is realistic and achievable. | Yes No |
| 10. It can be used for marketing and communication. | Yes No |
When the group has developed its mission objectives, use work-sheet 5.3 to ensure the objectives will promote value and align with the mission. To use this worksheet, list each draft mission objective and answer the questions posed in columns 2, 3,and 4. The training company's mission and objectives that we detailed in example 5.2 are included as an illustrative sample in this worksheet.
EXAMPLE 5.2
Sample Mission Statement and Corresponding Objectives
Mission Statement: We provide leading-edge training and performance support processes, tools, and products to those organizations that purchase XYZ Company's products and services. We save our customers time and money by training their professionals in our product line, and we customize our product line to meet their specific needs. Our products not only enhance our organization's ability to sell its products and services, but also serve as a revenue chain in themselves.
Objectives:
1. Research new technologies and practices within the industry so we may improve our services and products
2. Evaluate our programs to ensure that they are transferable to our customers' workplaces and that they provide the required business results
3. Benchmark ourselves against others in our industry to ensure that we continually provide products and services that are considered best in class
4. Canvass our clients to ensure that our products and services are considered valuable and priced appropriately
Creating a Vision Statement
When the writers designated by the group to draft the mission statement and objectives have done their work, and approval for those materials has been received from management, it's time to begin developing the vision statement.
A vision statement asserts where your organization is headed or what its future will be. A vision statement usually has a life of two to four years, and it should support the mission statement and the objectives. The vision statement typically mentions a timeframe and some type of measurement. Here are three examples:
1. Within three years, Morrison Motors will be the number 1 mechanic and auto repair business in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
2. In the next two years, Lulu Imports will increase profits by 150 percent and become known nationally for its unique French housewares.
EXAMPLE 5.3
Sample Mission Objectives and Corresponding Tactics
| Mission Objective | Tactic |
| Provide knowledge management consulting to our workforce |
Identify knowledge streams critical to our organization's competitiveness |
| Become knowledge transfer experts |
Market our services in knowledge management terms |
| Demonstrate how we can help our employees gain knowledge and transfer it back to the workplace |
|
| Establish knowledge management systems, such as competencies and transfer evaluation techniques |
|
| Bring new technologies into our product line in a thoughtful manner | Devise an e-learning strategy |
| Investigate technologies that will provide better information to our audience in a more timely manner |
|
| Identify our audience's preferences for technology |
|
| Measure our audience's readiness for technology |
|
| On a regular basis, get feedback from our stakeholders, customers, and business partners concerning their needs for improved organizational performance | Create a steering committee |
| Identify ways to perform an ongoing needs assessment of the organization's performance gaps |
|
| Identify triggers that change performance needs and devise a method to monitor those triggers |
|
| Produce programs that provide measurable results | Create a measurement system that can report results (or lack of results) |
| Create program standards |
|
| Integrate measurement and standards
into our design process |
WORKSHEET 5.3
Validating Mission Objectives
3. In the next two years, Scott Publications will further develop its business by procuring and publishing a line of cookbooks for time-strapped families, thereby generating more than $1 billion in sales.
Example 5.4 illustrates a framework for developing your vision statement.
One of the issues in writing both mission and vision statements is using generic and broad terms. Often there is an inclination to use buzz phrases such as “leading edge” and “culturally aware.” Such wording is rarely descriptive enough to make your meaning clear. Here are two methods for testing the wording of your statements. The first method is to ask people who don't know anything about your business to read or listen to a statement and tell you what type of business you're in or what your organization's future plans are. The second method is to read the mission or vision statement to the strategic planning group and ask if it can discern how much or when or by what means elements of the statements will be accomplished. In other words, can they tell you what “maintain a manageable number of clients” means? Is that 10 or 2,000 clients? Do they know what this community considers to be excellence? Tool 5.4 lists words and phrases to avoid when creating mission and vision statements. These items are overused or have little meaning when they stand alone. If you choose to use any of these words, be sure you define precisely what they mean.
Creating Values Statements
The last task in this step is creating values statements. A values statement should delineate the core values, traits, and qualities the organization expects in its executives, managers, and employees. If the organization is small, these values often are a reflection of the values held by the founder or owner. Values statements define how individuals are expected to behave when representing the organization with customers and business partners and in the community. These values define how decision making is done, how customers are treated, and what rewards and recognition are given. Tool 5.5 offers a list of values most commonly found in organizations.
EXAMPLE 5.4
Developing a Vision Statement
New vision statement:
Orbach's Department Store will expand into two new lines of apparel for the professionals they serve. Those lines will be professional evening attire for both men and women, and shoes for both day and evening. This expansion will be completed in two years and will provide an additional $2 billion in revenue for the organization.
TOOL 5.4
Some Vague, Overused, and Potentially Misleading Words and Phrases
| A Words to Avoid in Mission, Vision, and Values Statements | Phrases to Avoid in Mission, Vision, and Values Statements |
| Accountability | Best managed |
| Barriers | Blue-chip clients |
| Business(es) | Complete package |
| Community | Culturally aware |
| Continue | Cutting edge |
| Culture | Despite controversy |
| Economy | Double in X years |
| Excellence | Established leader in |
| Future | Established leadership position |
| Global | Full-service |
| Intellectual | Grow aggressively |
| Leaders, leadership | Grow conservatively |
| Minority | Leading edge |
| Overcome | Major force |
| Practice | No-compromise |
| Resistance | The most |
| Responsibility | |
| Risk | |
| World, worldwide | |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Also avoid all references to other companies as standards of quality (you can't rely on outside entities to remain in business or maintain an enviable level of performance).
Values statements are key to your organization's definition of who it is, and they should support your mission and vision. If, for example, you say you are a family-oriented business, then policies such as time off, leaves of absence, funeral and family leave, health care, flextime, and job sharing should be part of what your organization provides its employees. The values you cite in your values statements and how they are demonstrated reflect the extent to which your organization walks its talk. They should be exhibited by executives, employees, managers, vendors, and suppliers. Give copies of values statements to prospective employees, vendors, suppliers, and others to make clear the behaviors that the organization expects both in the workplace and whenever an individual represents the organization. To illustrate how values statements can be written, we've listed the values statements of three sample companies in example 5.5.
TOOL 5.5
Values Commonly Found in Organizations
| Accomplishment | Enthusiasm |
| Accountability | Ethics |
| Accuracy | Family orientation |
| Ambition | Friendliness |
| Collaboration | Fun |
| Community orientation | Generosity |
| Community spirit | Honesty |
| Compassion | Innovation |
| Competence | Integrity |
| Concern for quality | Loyalty |
| Confidence | Optimism |
| Courage | Persistence |
| Creativity | Respectfulness |
| Credibility | Responsibility |
| Dedication | Service orientation |
| Dependability | Spirituality |
| Determination | Truthfulness |
| Discipline | Wisdom |
| Efficiency |
Effective organizations define their values and share their values statements so there is a mutual understanding of what is expected and so everyone's behavior reflects the organization's values.
EXAMPLE 5.5
Sample Value Statements
| Type of Organization | Values Statements |
| Technology company, in business for 3 years | Our values are fiscal responsibility, dedication to getting the job done, innovation, and accountability. |
| Sales and marketing company specializing in farm equipment, in business for 20 years | We value integrity, customer service, taking pride in our work, presenting accurate information, and sharing ideas. |
| Amusement park, in business for more than 50 years | We value families, respect, safety, community service, active participation, customer service, and honesty. |
At this point, you are well beyond the halfway mark in developing your strategic plan, but some of the most important steps are ahead. In Steps 6—8, you'll determine business needs, decide on tactics, and prioritize resources.
