Present corporate life is abuzz with goal-setting in order to gain better and finer results. At the same time, goal setting is diverse from targets and vision. Vision is at a phenomenal octave, as compared to the targets of the company. Today’s work culture is buzzing with words like teams and team spirit. Getting employees to work as a team and in the spirit of the team is an ongoing challenge for every manager. Although every manager cites the example of a sports team, seldom is this achieved.

An attempt is being made to dissect and identify exactly the importance of goals, targets, mission and vision in achieving the heights of success. A cursory look may club all of them together, while a focused approach may elicit surprising results.

Team leaders can enjoy the fruits of team-building and success at work, if they:

• Define the organizational mission, values, vision and goals,
• Disseminate the same across the team, and
• Integrate and merge the same into goals at the individual team front.

Vision is exclusive to individuals too when talking of the company’s vision. This is so well illustrated by some great luminaries of industry, if they can be called that. The strong vision of Walt Disney as to what Disneyland would look like in years to come is one such example.

A poignant incident of a dying Disney, in his last hours, whispering his vision into the ear of a journalist, may well illustrate the strength of a clear vision statement for success.

Generally speaking, Vision statements need to be generic in nature, yet carry the message of a passion to achieve. A few examples of Vision Statements are:

Five years from now, Co. XXX Ltd. will have annual revenues of over one million by consistently providing timely, moderately priced repair services.

Within the next five years, ZZZ Tours will become the premier eco-tour company in ________, increasing revenues to $1 mn by becoming internationally known for its luxurious yet affordable range of its tour offers.

Within the next five years, the XXX Center for Women’s Concerns will have helped create a safer and healthier community by helping more women acquire education, skills and resources necessary to build self-sufficient and happy lives.

Within the next five years, www. xyz.com will become the lead provider of software to small businesses by providing customized, user-friendly software to cater to their specific requirements.

Without a vision of where to go, how can a plan be developed to place the organization there? Without a vision, how does the manager know that he has arrived? Without a vision, the individual keeps trekking over mountains, without a clue as to what mountain he is climbing, why he is climbing, how he has to climb and how much more he has to climb. In short, vision guides and gives direction and a sense of purpose and motivation to the employees and the organization, at large.

Let’s move onto the role of goals and mission in successfully achieving the vision. At this juncture, goals may first be differentiated from objectives. Goals are perhaps vague and are envisaged over a long period of time, while objectives are specific, measurable and relatively time bound over a relatively shorter duration of time. The following story of a soldier at the battle front makes our learning curve richer:

The mission is to win the war, no matter what. Objectives are to keep costs to the minimum and lose the minimum number of people. Goals set by individuals vary and the soldier’s goal was to win the war on his terms. Goals meanwhile are the initial steps and the consequent milestones that one reaches in the journey to the final destination.

Here again, both the men were correct in their own way. Everybody worked for their individual goals, keeping in mind, the mission statement. The well known acronym “SMART” (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Truthful) is the baseline for anybody to be successful in achieving goals. The realization of vision ultimately rests purely on the individual goals being met. The present skills, mindset, outlook and current scenario play a major role in the direction and speed in the fulfillment of the vision. Achieving each and every goal measures the progress made.