Too many vision statements have become generalized to the point where they don’t say anything about the company’s purpose. It is essential to recognize that a company’s vision statement is not the same as about us or history. To cultivate a meaningful workplace culture, a vision statement should be sharp and precise. When done right, a vision statement can be the key to successful digital transformation.

How to Create a Vision Statement

Creating a vision statement takes some time, and you’ll want to craft it carefully. Here are some things to keep in mind as you build it.

• Be concise. The best vision statements are concise and clear. They get right to the point. Think about a statement that could be printed on the back of your business cards. When creating your vision statement, use fewer words, not more.
• Easy to recall. A good mission statement is one that people can remember easily, which goes back to the first point: Keep it short. While you don’t need a statement that people can remember word for word, they should be able to recall the basic idea or point of your vision.
• Original. You want your vision statement to show how you stand out from the competition in your industry. Consider researching what some of the top brands in your space use as vision statements and work on writing something different. Even if you want to convey the same idea as a competitor, find a new way to say it, or you’ll risk being overlooked.
• Practical. Try not to make your vision statement too lofty or unrealistic. Be practical in what your company can achieve. Create a statement that employees will be able to accomplish. Anything too ambitious or too focused on the long-term may put off others.
• Up-to-date. A vision statement doesn’t need to be recrafted regularly, but it should be reviewed on occasion. Doing this will ensure that your company stays focused and that your vision statement accurately reflects your plans and goals for the organization. For example, technological advancements may change the purpose or focus of your business. In this situation, you’ll want to update your vision statement.

How to Overcome Resistance

Change can be difficult for most people, and updating or creating a vision statement may reflect a change for your organization and employees. If your vision statement leads to changes in employee tasks or daily routines, you’ll face resistance. This is particularly true when it comes to digital transformation. But this doesn’t need to stop you from doing it.

Vision statements take time to develop and will require collaboration among senior leadership. Understanding the process and finesse it takes to get a vision statement right can be difficult for some people to grasp. Those involved in the process need to understand the challenges of creating a vision statement. It’s a team effort and can also lead to stronger working relationships in the organization.

When it comes to making changes, small steps are best. Taking baby steps forward can help employees understand that senior management is serious about the new vision. This, in turn, will enable them to buy into the new direction or vision for your organization.

How to Link Enterprise and IT Vision

IT vision statements need to be connected to your overall business vision statement. Trying to write a statement for your IT department without linking it to your enterprise statement may cause confusion. It can be challenging to see the point of a vision statement for IT that doesn’t align with the business goals or vision.

However, one way to overcome this challenge is to start with small efforts. Seek the input of two or three senior IT employees. Use your business vision statement to help everyone focus on developing a related IT vision statement. If the group can create some plausible statements, run them by the rest of the IT team. Ask for some feedback and see if everyone can agree. If so, then you’ll have successfully created an IT vision statement. However, if there is a lack of consensus, your best option may be to stop working on it. You may want to pick it up at a later time or not, but unless you can get your IT team to buy into the vision, it won’t be worth your effort.

A vision statement can be a very powerful tool for an organization, particularly when it comes to digital transformation. The statement is a way to unite and focus everyone at the company. By taking your time and employing best practices like being concise, original, and realistic, you’ll be able to create a vision statement that galvanizes support from employees and other stakeholders.