Mission, Vision & Winning Aspiration

How To Write A Mission & Vision Statement

Or, Why Not Just Create
A Winning Aspiration?

Everyone has heard of mission and vision statements. You might also have heard of a ‘winning aspiration’. Writing really good ones creates a foundation you can build great plans upon.

So let us first explore why you you might want to articulate these key strategic statements as part of your strategic planning process?

Clarity of purpose: Establishes a clear understanding of why your company exists and what it aspires to achieve. It should communicate your overarching purpose and the impact it aims to make in the world.
Sense of meaning and direction: The statements should evoke a sense of purpose and direction. Employees should think about how their work contributes to the broader mission and vision, and feel a sense of meaning and fulfilment in their roles.
Inspiration and motivation: The statements should inspire and motivate employees. It should ignite their passion for your purpose and create a shared sense of excitement and enthusiasm about the future.
Belief in your potential: Reading the statements should instill confidence and belief in your potential to achieve your goals. Employees should think about the your capabilities, competitive advantage, and the value you offer to all your stakeholders.

Written by Matt Roberts | Co-Founder of ZOKRI

What is a Mission Statement?

Mission Statements

Your mission statement describes what your company does currently to achieve it’s Vision.

If you’re going to debate, propose and reach a consensus on your Mission Statement these questions are a great starting point.

What do we do? Describe the primary function or service your company provides.
How do we do it? Outline the key methodologies, strategies, or approaches that your company uses to deliver its products or services.
Who do we do it for? Identify your target customer/client.
What value are we bringing? Determine what makes your company stand out, or the unique benefits your company offers to customers/clients.

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Mission Statement Examples

Airbnb Mission

To help create a world where you can belong anywhere and where people can live in a place, instead of just traveling to it.

Apple’s Mission

To bringing the best user experience to customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.

Amazon’s Mission

To be Earth’s most customer-centric company.

Nike’s Mission

To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete* in the world.
*If you have a body, you are an athlete.

Sweetgreen Mission

To inspire healthier communities by connecting people to real food.

As part of the FAST Transformation Toolkit we use scoring systems to help you self-assess your work. We’ve an example of one of these self-assessments coming up in a moment to score your own Mission and Vision Statements.

You can also take a look at ours to see how we score!

What is a Vision Statement?

Vision Statements

A Vision Statement is a clear, concise statement that captures the company’s ambitions and serves as a guiding light for decision-making. Again these questions are a great debate starting point if you‘re looking to create a good Vision Statement.

What impact do we want to make in our industry?
Where do we see the company in 5-10 years from now?
How can our company improve people’s lives, whether directly or indirectly?
What would the press release look like? What would it say about the company, its offerings, and its impact?

Vision Statement Examples

Airbnb Vision

Tapping into the universal human yearning to belong—the desire to feel welcomed, respected, and appreciated for who you are, no matter where you might be

Apple’s Vision

We believe that we are on the face of the earth to make great products, and that’s not changing.

Nike’s Vision

To do everything possible to expand human potential.

Sweetgreen Vision

A world where people can live fulfilling lives through the power of food.

WHAT IS A Winning Aspiration?

Winning Aspiration

On our quest for simplicity we love the approach of Harvard’s strategy expert, Roger Martin, who has dispensed with Mission and Vision Statements in favor of one single Winning Aspiration statement.

The power of this statement over a Mission & a Vision is about winning and not just being another player in a market, and where you feel the company can be ‘best’. There is also just one as opposed to two similar statements that can often be a little vague and uninspiring. Winning is something that gets people excited.

To use Rogers words here: “it should specify that the organization seeks to add value to customers in a sufficiently unique manner that it will do so better than anybody.”

ZOKRI’s Winning Aspiration: “To create a strategic planning and execution system that’s so easy to follow and use that every business can unlock their true potential.”

You can learn more about how to create yours along with a strategy that delivers it via our strategic planning process, course and toolkit.

Strategy Management Software

Align You Mission, Vision & Strategy With OKRs
& Weekly Execution

In addition to being a home for your Winning Aspiration, Strategy and KPI Scorecards, ZOKRI has class-leading OKR features that ensure OKRs are used correctly and make a material impact..

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Learn About Our Strategic Planning Process, Download Our Free Book

Download our free 130 page book. The book takes you through an 8 step strategic planning process that helps you create and articulate your winning strategy, set goals using the OKR framework, create a launch event, and form a weekly execution rhythm that keeps everyone on track.

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