4 principles of a great product vision statement. Regardless of which direction you go with your vision, there are five pieces that every product vision statement needs to have. All of these help focus your product vision, ensuring its clarity. All product visions should: Be customer-focused: Your customers are the whole reason for your product. In this article, you'll learn how to create a personal vision statement. Writing down your vision of the future is the first step in making it a reality.
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A vision gives project participants a reason for contributing. It clarifies the project’s purpose, eliminates confusion, unifies the team, and inspires them to do their best. It’s of the three main points of my book Learn to Launch.
A vision and a vision statement are separate but related concepts. The vision is a grand, encompassing idea with emotional weight; a vision statement is its linguistic representation—a concise declaration of the big picture, a sort of project scripture. It sets the direction and helps people see and understand.
Consider the following examples:
- “Take to market a copier that is small, inexpensive, and reliable enough for personal use on a secretary’s desk.”
- “Design an onboarding program that quickly transforms new employees into valuable long-term contributors.”
- “Prepare a prioritized list of low-cost engineering recommendations that guides the organization to more energy-efficient operations.”
Notice how these examples follow a pattern: “[Action] a [deliverable] that [criteria].” This pattern works well, but there are certainly other variations. Feel free to experiment and find your own.
One of the best project vision statements I’ve seen is “Denver to Honolulu on a hot day.” That may mean nothing to you, as it did to me the first time I encountered it. Aerospace company Boeing undertook its 777 program with specific objectives about a new airplane’s capabilities.
Following the format above, their vision statement may have read, “Manufacture a technologically advanced midsize commercial aircraft that strongly positions the company for the 21st century.” But the real specifications were too many to list, though a vision statement was crucial. Alan
Mulally, the 777 program’s general manager, simplified it with this beguiling phrase: “Denver to Honolulu on a hot day.” To the project team, it was obvious: deliver an airplane with high-altitude capacity (“Denver”) and extended operations (“Honolulu”) to be ready by summer (“hot day”).
What’s more, the phrase was visual and engaging.
Keep these points in mind when forming your own project vision statement:
- Simple—Keep your project vision statement brief. If it is longer than a sentence or two, it’s not clear enough.
- Actionable—Express the project vision with strong verbs like “deliver” or “produce” to encourage action.
- Engaging—Include concepts that will resonate with project participants and impel them to commit their best effort.
- Collaborative—Solicit input from many stakeholders, including your team and the client. This will not only produce better ideas but will help them own and agree on the vision.
- Forward-thinking—Imagine the project’s conclusion and express the vision in terms of the benefits.
- Specific—If they are brief, you may mention a few key criteria or goals that will define success.
As great as a vision statement is, it doesn’t substitute for a detailed project plan. Your vision statement can’t possibly include all the goals, expectations, criteria, descriptions, and definitions necessary for the project, and though it refers to a few, it doesn’t define them concretely. The vision statement is only useful when participants grasp the underlying details and the vision statement itself is just a reminder.
While you aim to articulate a clear vision from the very beginning, remember that your vision may evolve as the project unfolds and you learn more about the problem you are solving. If needed, rewrite your vision statement. And rewrite it again.
Now that you recognize it's time to approach your life proactively, you need to create a personal vision statement.
Clearly defining the vision you have for your life requires more than just thinking about it. You need to write it down.
The act of writing something down and then reading it daily reinforces the message and makes it more real.
Even better, print out your personal vision statement and post where you can see it frequently.
This reminder will increase your motivation and foster the self-growth you desire.
What Is a Personal Vision Statement?
A personal vision statement is a clear, concise summary of your personal goals and dreams for the future. It serves as an anchor when life pulls you in different directions.
It is also a guide for making decisions based on your values, and it helps you stay focused on the goals you want to achieve.
The process of writing one compels you to think about the purpose of your life and how to achieve that.
You'll identify your most important guiding principles and describe how you intend to apply them to your life.
Your statement also introduces you to the power of setting concrete goals. Research by psychologist Gail Matthews found that people who wrote down their goals succeeded 33% more often than people who only thought about their goals.
If you want to live the life you envision, you need to avoid the trap of abandoning your dreams in the realm of the abstract. Writing down your vision is the best way to actualize it.
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To get started, you can study personal vision statement examples to get ideas about how to write yours.
How to Write a Personal Vision Statement
Writing a personal vision statement begins with free writing. At this point, you simply ask yourself questions and write down whatever comes to mind. Don't impose any judgments at this point because you want to uncover your hopes and dreams for the future.
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- List your personal strengths.
- List your personal weaknesses.
- Write down your core values.
- Think about how your values should guide interactions with family, at work, and within your community.
- Consider the best uses for your life energy based on your inner compass and values.
- Identify some specific goals that you want to pursue.
- Imagine the legacy of your purpose, goals, and actions.
- Examine your notes to see what jumps out as most important.
- Compose a paragraph that summarizes your priorities in the form of a vision statement.
It's important to keep your vision statement as a single paragraph. This way, you'll be able to read it easily and frequently.
If you want to write more paragraphs to address specific goals, that's fine, but these would be supplemental to your main vision statement.
11 Personal Vision Statement Examples
Here are several vision statement examples you can use to help you brainstorm your own. There are no strict rules here related to the words you choose and the concepts you include.
But if any of the statements in these examples resonate with you, feel free to make them your own and rewrite them to suit your goals and dreams.
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Personal Vision Statement Template
If you'd like some additional help in writing your personal vision statement, please download our free template.
Are you ready to write your personal vision statement?
Philosophers may argue about the existence of free will, but the truth is that you have plenty of control over the direction of your life.
The time that you invest in crafting a personal vision statement will keep you grounded amid the endless distractions of life.
As you can see in the personal vision statement examples presented here, your vision doesn't have to follow any particular direction.
Let your heart define your purpose and values, and then use your mind to pursue your values-based goals.