Creating Values, Vision and MissionStatements

Introduction

Recruiting, Selection, Orientation and Training draw heavily on your dealership’s values, visionand mission. Every organization has these three components—whether they’ve been formalized or not. To formally express yours, you’ll perform three activities:

  • Identifying values
  • Creating a vision
  • Establishing your mission

Having this clearly in mind is what creates alignment in the people of the organization. Alignment is a sense of common purpose and commitment. It releases “discretionary effort.” People work harder for something they really believe in. It functions as an internal guidance system in daily interactions with coworkers and customers. People require less point-of-action supervision. They’re more prepared to be empowered and trusted, and to make good decisions when the unexpected occurs.

Identifying Values

Values are the timeless principles underlying all your organization’s activities. Because they form the foundation for your mission and vision, you establish them first.

In your daily life, you are guided by a set of important personal values—for example, honesty, fairness, and excellence. These values determine how you interact with people, how you perform your work, and how you measure your personal performance. Just as every person is guided by a set of personal values, so is your company guided by a set of institutional values—for example, competitiveness, service, and value.

Creating Vision

Vision is about the future—it’s a picture of what and where you’ll be in five, ten or twenty years.

It’s been said that you don’t create a vision—you find it. That’s because all businesses already have a vision, although sometimes they’re not fully aware of it. Your values state who you are. Your vision says where you’re going. Your mission describes how you do it.

When creating your vision statement, look for examples of great leaders and their vision. It will help you find the right words. Here is Henry Ford’s vision:

“I will build a motor car for the great multitude….It will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one—and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces….When I’m through everybody will be able to afford one, and everyone will have one. The horse will have disappeared from our highways, the automobile will be taken for granted, and we will give a large number of men employment at good wages.”

Your vision is the ultimate goal. It is what people will remember of you.

Establishing Mission

Your company’s mission puts values and vision into action. It defines why you are in business, how you treat customers—in short, your mission explains why you open the doors for business each day.

Unlike your values, your mission should change from time to time reflecting the changes in the business environment, customer preferences, workforce needs, etc. It is based on your core values and vision and represents what you stand for in the marketplace. In your mission statement, you’ll want to include the following, at a minimum:

  • Your market
  • The products and services you offer
  • Your unique approach
  • The difference you make for your employees and customers

Try not to confuse mission with goals or objectives which can change yearly, quarterly, monthly or even daily. Your mission is a constant guiding force that will guide you, with periodic updates and changes, for as long as your business exists.

How to Do it

You can spend a great deal of time studying and organizing your approach to developing values, vision, and mission. There are numerous books, articles, and seminars on the subject—and most of them are very good.

Or you can just do it using the worksheets that follow—they’re based on best practices for getting this job done. If you choose to go this route, keep the following guidelines in mind:

  • Establish a working group of four to six people. Explain the process to them, and get a commitment to full involvement from them.
  • Select a facilitator for each session—his or her job is to keep the discussion on track and moving ahead.
  • Conduct the work sessions in a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. Consider an off-site location to avoid interruptions.
  • Use a chalkboard, whiteboard, or flip chart to record everyone’s input and ideas.
  • Take as many sessions as you need to get the job done. And remember that it doesn’t have to be perfect the first time.
  • Establish the ground rules—open discussion, honesty, and most of all, tolerance. Nothing will de-rail the process faster than constant criticism and carping.
  • Make decisions by consensus—everyone should be able to commit to the results.
  • Get samples of values, mission, and vision statements from other companies ahead of time.
  • Complete each exercise before going on to the next.

Values Worksheet

Discuss the following topics and make notes of the key themes that emerge. Remember that at this point, what you are is more significant than what you wish you were.

1. Company Culture

List five words that describe the company, then discuss them with the group.

Make a few notes about the following questions and then discuss each question with the group.

  • If the company was an athlete, what would it be? Why?
  • If the company was an animal, what would it be? Why?
  • If the company was an automobile, what would it be? Why?

2. Company Successes

What successes has the company had: with customers, co-workers and the community? Now, discuss those successes. Which are you most proud of and why? Which best illustrate the way the company works or should work? What values are indicated?

3. Company Character

Think about the following questions and jot down a few thoughts about each one. What values emerge?

1. What does this company stand for? What things does this company really care about?

2. What things are people in this company most proud of?

3. How would the best customers describe our company?

4. How would people in the community describe our company?

5. Who gets recognition in this company? What achievements/behaviors get recognized?

6. How is our company unique?

4. Company Values

List the values the group has recorded in the preceding exercises, and then rank them in importance. List each one only one time—list as many as you wish. (1 = most important)

Value RankValueRank

1. ______5. ______

2. ______6. ______

3. ______7. ______

4. ______8. ______
Vision Worksheet

Vision is about the future—it’s want you want to be and do. It’s what you want to become. It is your aspiration. It is what you want to be remembered for.

Keep in mind these points:

  • Vision applies to the entire organization and may require five, ten to twenty years to achieve.
  • Vision must be visionary—it’s a level above strategy and tactics.
  • Vision is something that people want to “buy into.” They must understand it and be aligned with it.

To help you formulate your vision, do these exercises:

1. If you were to describe your vision of greatness, what would it be?

2. In your most optimistic—but realistic—imagination, how good can you be?

3. Write a magazine article about the greatness your company has achieved in 10 years.

Now, paint a graphic picture in words of what it will be like to achieve the vision. Your goal is create a future for the organization, not to predict it.

Check your vision statement against these guidelines. It should be:

Conceivable—capable of being put into words and understood by everyone.

Believable —acceptable and appropriate to the dealership’s values.

Achievable—truly within the strengths and abilities you can bring to bear.

Controllable—subject only to permitted or uncontrollable outside influences

Measurable—capable of real measurement (not just imagined)

Desirable—something that people in the organization will really want to do and become.

Stated without alternatives or caveats—no part of the vision is optional.

Growth facilitating—contributes to the welfare of self, others, society; non-injurious to self or others.

Inspirational—generates energy, commitment, focus, hope, persistence, and enthusiasm.

Your Vision Statement

Mission Worksheet

Answer the following questions before coming to the meeting. Put real thought and research into your answers.

  1. What’s my primary business—what do I offer the marketplace?
  2. What are the opportunities and needs we exist to address?
  3. Why do we do what we do?
  4. What principles and beliefs guide our work?
  5. Who are my customers? What do they want? What products do they want and what services do they expect? What do they value the most?
  6. How am I different than our competition? What special skills, abilities, and assets do we have?
  7. How are we different from other businesses in general? What is unique about us?
  8. What promise do I want to make to customers? Can I keep it?
  9. What promise do I want to make to employees? Can I keep it?
  10. What bottom-line result do we want? For customers, for employees, for the business?
  11. What do we do for the community we live in? For the company we represent?
  12. What is the timeline to gauge our progress in accomplishing our Vision?

Discuss each question thoroughly and arrive at a consensus. Then begin drafting your mission statement. Make sure it meets these guidelines:

  • Be concise and to the point—avoid the “laundry list” approach. You want something that is easy for employees to read and understand, and something that makes sense to customers.
  • Avoid jargon and industry short-hand.
  • Use active verbs to describe what you will do.
  • Provide motivation for everyone in the organization.
  • Be realistic—your mission must be something that you can actually live by.

Your Mission Statement