The Difference Between Vision and Mission

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What is the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement? Do you need both?

• A mission statement concerns what an organization is all about.
• A vision statement is what the organization wants to become.

A mission statement answers three key questions:

• What do we do?
• For whom do we do it?
• What is the benefit?

A vision statement, on the other hand, describes how the future will look if the organization achieves its mission. A mission statement gives the overall purpose of an organization, while a vision statement describes a picture of the "preferred future." A mission statement explains what the organization does, for whom and the benefit. A vision statement, on the other hand, describes how the future will look if the organization achieves its mission.

Examples: