#TheStrategicProcess #VisionMission

What is first the Vision or the Mission? 

In my understanding there are two concepts that are closely linked. A person may have a Vision to start a new business and then asking him if his mission is the adequate that means, if he is ready or if he has the skills required to meet the proposed Vision. 

Obviously he could not be prepared but be willed to do so and therefore the time factor in defining the Vision is so important. Serving readers in the Spanish version, it is possibly that the Spanish word "Misión" confuses all of us, because according to the Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy (DRAE), the most used definition is: "Power given to someone going to play a role". However, if we translate the English word "mission" we find "work, task" as closer to what we want to define. Here's an example: What works, what task is carried out by this company? "The Mission (work, task) of this company is to inform consumers of their rights" so what the company does and for what this company is prepared to is to inform about the rights to consumers. 

If we use the Wikipedia: "A mission statement is a statement of the purpose of a company, organization or person; its reason for existing; a written declaration of an organization's core purpose and focus that normally remains unchanged over time", and:

"A mission is different from a vision in that the former is the cause and the latter is the effect; a mission is something to be accomplished whereas a vision is something to be pursued for that accomplishment. Also called company mission, corporate mission, or corporate purpose ".

"A vision statement says what the organization wishes to be like in some years’ time. It’s usually drawn up by senior management, in an effort to take the thinking beyond day-to-day activity in a clear, memorable way". (Graham Kenny)

There’s also the mission, which describes what business the organization is in (and what it isn't) both now and projecting into the future" (Graham Kenny)

Usually the concepts of Vision and Mission appear when businesses, companies or entities of different nature intend to start with #TheStrategicProcess development (SPd) either because they want to start with a new strategy or change, improve the existing one. Therefore a business, a company or an organisation already have an existence and a Mission (work, task) defined. 

Here are some other examples of Vision and Mission or Mission and Vision:

"Our Mission is to manufacture high quality electrical components for markets in machinery and equipment manufacturers. Our Vision is to be one of the three world leaders in our industry reaching a total of 500 Mill. Euros in 2020”

"Our Vision is to be leaders in strategic training for small and medium businesses reaching a figure of 5 Mill. Euros in 2020. Therefore our Mission in "distance learning method" will be developed with the necessary skills for a "customised distance learning method" "