Sunday, March 27, 2011

Driving with directions!

Every Organization needs a vision and mission statement. This is the founding principle of this organization and it guide and leads their actions and goals. The vision and mission statement vary greatly between different associations because it relates to their central and internal goal. A mission statement is a statement of “purpose and core values”, it describes the actions that a certain group plans to undertake to reach their ultimate goal, it serves as a compass indecision making, and it keeps the individuals in a group, centered towards a common purpose. The vision statement, however, is the final outcome, goal or expected future of an organization. It is the goal they hope and expect to achieve in the long run. The vision and mission statement work together in a parallel manner in an organization.
                In my church’s leadership group, we addressed this importance of a vision and mission statement in any association. As youth council president I was required to attend some leadership classes, and in one of these classes, this topic was discussed. The teacher explained the relationship between a vision and mission statement in a different light. He said that the vision statement was like the road directions (MapQuest and GPS) that directs people and gives the necessary actions to perform that will leader them to their destination. While a vision statement is the required destination that an individual is trying to arrive at. He explained that usually the beginning of leadership is like taking a trip or driving to a place where one is unfamiliar with. You always begin at your starting point or current destination where you decide to travel or drive to a certain place; this corresponds to the time in which a leader is thinking about beginning and organization or starting a new venture/leadership. Once one has decided to drive, they realize that though they have the address to their destination, they don’t don’t know which road or turns to get there. At this point, they consult their GPs or the MapQuest system because it provides accurate actions to do in order to arrive to the final destination. In leadership, after a leader decides to undertake a certain venture or begin a company, they are usually unsure in how to manage their company to get it to its ultimate best. So they have to create a mission statement that provides the actions that each member/driver will need to do in order to get that company to the place where he envisioned it would be someday. This goal/ final destination is the vision of that leader. The thought and idea they conceived that lead them to take some actions.
                After listening to this unusual description of a vision and mission statement, it made me view vision and mission statement differently. Everytime I embark on a leadership venture, I always create either a mental or written vision/mission statement. I always ensure that I have my MapQuest directions to lead me to my final target.

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