Make sure your Vision Statement Means Something

By John Maroon

So many times we hear about companies going away for retreats and spending hours and even days trying to come up with a vision statement.

Vision statements define an organization’s purpose in terms of the organization’s values rather than bottom line measurements like a mission statement is supposed to do. The vision statement conveys the purpose and the values of the organization and most people believe it should be short, simple and impactful.

Last January Maroon PR held what is now an annual one-day company retreat where we all get together and set our goals for the year. Last year one of our primary objectives was to come up with a vision statement.

I, and I suspect others, was skeptical about the value of this. So many times things like this are written and talked about during a meeting or brainstorm session…and then never discussed again. We went back and forth and talked about all of the things that are important about our company and what truly sets us apart.

What we came away with was “We Drive Growth Through Relationships.” A year later I reflect on that and I am proud. These are truly words that guide us and our actions and not just a stale line that sits on our website. It drives all that we do and everyone knows what our vision statement is.

What does it mean? Simply that.

Relationships with Media… Many media members we call friends. In addition, we have a philosophy of not badgering media members to try to get them to cover an event or write a story. Not every pitch is answered or acted upon and we respect that completely.

Relationships with Clients… In April we will celebrate our fifth anniversary. Many of our clients have been with us nearly the entire time. In fact Ripken Baseball, the Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation and the Babe Ruth Museum have been with us since the day we opened our doors (thank God!) and others for nearly that long … USA Football, Reading Is Fundamental, CRI Solutions, Renegade and Geier Financial Group.

Relationships for Others… When working with our clients we look at ways to effectively partner them with each other or other relationships that we may have. This is a powerful tool that helps everyone.

The bottom line is that a vision statement has to mean something to everyone and has to be reinforced and embraced. Ours has been and it has made a great difference for our business and for our clients.

John Maroon is President of Maroon PR. Contact him at john@maroonpr.com.