In a business setting, a directional statement, also referred to as a vision statement, describes how your business will appear after achieving all of its strategic goals. Its primary goals are to provide focus, assist in long-term planning and guide daily operations. When writing a directional statement, keep it simple, concise and focused on the future.
A directional statement creates a general path but does not include specific directions for reaching a long-term destination. According to Bruce Johnson, president of “Wired to Grow,” it should also be motivational. Focus on things in a long-term, broad sense, consider the products or services that your business provides, then describe how your company will appear to the outside world if it provided the very best version possible.
Keep the statement to no more than one paragraph in length. Use action-packed, descriptive words and plain, everyday language that anyone reading it can understand. In addition, Johnson states that it should clearly define the type of business you’re running and identify your long-term goals.
As an example, review the Amazon.com directional statement: “We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for four primary customer sets: consumers, sellers, enterprises, and content creators.” This statement is concise, uses plain English and clearly outlines the future direction of the company without getting too specific.
