Many businesses have some combination of a mission, a vision, and values (core values).

Some have developed all three, while others have one or two of the three.

A mission statement explains what the company does and why it exists. Ideally, it is what the business delivers every day. For example, Hershey’s mission statement is, “Bringing sweet moments of Hershey happiness to the world every day.”

A vision statement is less about what the business does every day but more about where the business is heading. It might be a lofty goal, such as becoming the best in the world at something, or the go-to organization in the industry. It is aspirational in nature. An example of a mission statement is that of Eddie Bauer, “To inspire, enable, and empower everyone to experience the outdoors and live their adventure.”

Core values are what guide the actions of the business that, if delivered consistently, will lead the business to succeed in their mission and get increasingly closer to their vision. In a perfect world, if anyone interacts with the business, whether it be employees, customers, vendors, the community, or anyone else, the person will walk away from that interaction feeling the delivery of those core values. An example of core values are Patagonia’s (you can read more about each core value on their website): quality, integrity, environmentalism, justice, and not bound by convention.

There are very good reasons that businesses (or nonprofit organizations) establish those for their organization.

Creation of a mission, vision, and core values serves to set an expectation for people when it comes to what they will experience from the organization. Those statements should guide the choices and behavior of those who work for the organization.

Problems can occur when an organization creates and subsequently states their mission, vision, and core values, but does not deliver on them consistently.

Have you ever been to a business that says they put customers first, but you wait in the lobby for someone to acknowledge you while also observing an employee texting on his or her cell phone?

The problem that mismatch creates is worse than not having a mission, vision, or core values at all. Stating that people can expect something from your business but acting in ways that do not align can leave customers feeling disgruntled about the organization.

The best approach for a business or organization is to establish who they are and what people can expect from them through their mission, vision, and values, and to then work hard at delivering on those every day.

It goes beyond posting the information on a wall or a website.

Success includes practicing core values, talking about them, and integrating them into every facet of the business. They should become the lens through which everything is viewed and delivered.

Developing a mission, vision, and core values can go beyond the walls of a business.

Have you ever considered developing a mission, vision, and core values for yourself or your family?

There can be great value in doing so and then striving to live by those things.

If you had your own personal mission, vision, and core values, what would they be? If I asked others to describe you, what would you hope they would say? That’s a good way to figure out your core values.

Once we have a mission, vision, and core values for ourselves, the goal should be to deliver on them consistently. Just like a business, if we claim to be something but have a mismatch of actions, it can impact the relationships we have with others.

I recently put myself in a position where I did not deliver on one of my core values. Days later, my actions still bother me and have me recommitting to do better to deliver on my personal core values.

That’s the power of establishing and committing to delivering a mission, vision, and core values for a business, family, or us.

If we are serious about it, these will guide our thoughts and actions and lead us to grow in meaningful ways.