Vision, Mission, Purpose: What's The Difference?

Vision, Mission, Purpose: What's The Difference?
Purpose statements, mission statements, vision statements.
It can get really cluttered really fast. It seems like every organization has a different offering when it comes to declaring their purpose. Some just have a mission statement. Some have a mission and vision, some have a purpose. Some use some other term to describe a little bit of prose that they put on a plaque in the office or in the front of a 10-K report.
And if you go from organization to organization, you can get really confused because the definitions change.
There's a lot of clutter out there and we're gonna cut through that clutter today.
Today, we're gonna talk about about the difference between purpose, mission and vision. How they interrelate to each other. How they affect each other. Whether or not you even need all three or whether or not you can cut through that clutter with one simple statement that accomplishes all three.
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Purpose statements, mission statements, vision statements.
It can get really cluttered really fast. It seems like every organization has a different offering when it comes to declaring their purpose. Some just have a mission statement. Some have a mission and vision, some have a purpose. Some use some other term to describe a little bit of prose that they put on a plaque in the office or in the front of a 10-K report.
And if you go from organization to organization, you can get really confused because the definitions change.
There's a lot of clutter out there and we're gonna cut through that clutter today.
Today, we're gonna talk about about the difference between purpose, mission and vision. How they interrelate to each other. How they affect each other. Whether or not you even need all three or whether or not you can cut through that clutter with one simple statement that accomplishes all three.
So let's start with the big one. Let's start with vision. What is a vision? And a vision statement, is really a statement of what the future looks like. It's a statement of where you are headed. A vision statement describes what if you achieve your mission if you serve your purpose, and we'll get to those in a little bit. What that is going to look like.
And the thing about vision is that by nature it is aspirational. It can be five years out, 10 years out, 20 years out, 100 years out, but it's about what you aspire to make the world look like.
All leadership involves change to some extent and your vision is a picture of what the world looks like when you have finished that change.
Now by definition, vision can't stand alone, because vision is about what you want to change the world to look like. All leadership is about change. And so vision is what happens after you achieve that change. But there has to be what you're doing inside of that in order to make the vision a reality. That's where mission comes into play.
Your mission on the other hand answers the question, how?
How are we gonna make that vision a reality? What are we going to be about? What activities are we engaged in on a day to day basis? And also what are the long term objectives that will help us make that vision happen?
Now mission can be where you talk about how lives are changed. Mission can be how you talk about how objectives are won. Mission can even be products or service that you sell. A lot of great mission statements put a specific number. We're gonna change this many lives or whatever it is.
The point is that mission answers that question, how? How are we gonna make that vision into reality?
So if your vision is what the world's gonna look like, when you've achieved your mission. Your mission obviously sets inside of it. It is the how do the visions what, but we still haven't answered all of the questions that we need to answer in order to have an intrinsically motivating set: mission, vision, purpose.
But, there's one more element we have to talk about.
We have to talk about purpose.
Purpose goes inside all of these. Purpose is the why your organization began. Why it's on that journey. It answers why you choose to exist. What was the whole reason for starting this organization? Why's as can be answered with that sort of founding story some of the time, but other times you need a declarative statement of that and we would call that declarative statement, your purpose.
So now we can take all three together.
We have the vision, this is the what.
We have the mission, this is the how.
We have the purpose, this is the why.

[@DavidBurkus]

VISION, MISSION, PURPOSE | WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? If you like this video and want to go deeper, check out our free course "3 DAYS TO A MORE MOTIVATED AND ALIGNED TEAM at davidburkus.com/3days

[@andredavis5580]

Awesome

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks!

[@jeremiahcastro9700]

Thank you for the video! It helped me jog my brain to really get down to the essence of the the words in your pinned comments OP. After tracing the etymology of all three words I found the following: _vision_ "to see" _mission_ "send out" _purpose_ "put forward" After pondering what you shared I learned that each of these statements answer the following questions: *Vision answers Why? How?* *Mission answers Where? When?* *Purpose answers Who? What?*

[@DavidBurkus]

@@jeremiahcastro9700 Thanks so much!

[@jeremiahcastro9700]

@@DavidBurkus Thank you brother! Great and useful information you put out there, definitely useful in business and our personal lives. I think many men today lack a personal vision statement so you've helped me a lot.

[@user-vl4zi9vl8g]

Been working on my brand for about a year and this is one of the best videos explaining these that I've seen. Always nice to run into a new, good refresher.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much! So glad to hear it helped.

[@matthewrawlins503]

Yes, such good clarity on the difference of vision, mission, purpose. Thank you for the straightforward insight.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@TheSolarSystemx]

I'm 16 and in the process of creating a private school that will teach things that will truly help students be ready to not only live but conquer life as a leader. My mom is helping with the business aspect due to my lack of experience and told me that I need to write a "MVV" before getting to my business plan, and just now looking for what that means exactly I come across this video, and it really helped : ) thank you!

[@DavidBurkus]

My pleasure. So glad to hear it helped!

[@GamezGames]

These concepts, especially the one about people being in the center of the circle, need to be shared with all the leaders across the globe. Thank you for the great learning experience

[@DavidBurkus]

Thank YOU so much. So glad to hear you enjoyed it!

[@morganquist]

They all radiate out from people. Yes! Thanks, David!

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much Morgan!

[@jimmynewson7151]

Great breakdown of vision, mission, and purpose, David! There is so much clarity here. I have referred many people to your blog post on this topic. Fantastic!

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much Jimmy!!!

[@jimmynewson7151]

@@DavidBurkus Absolutely.

[@ana_shep]

Brilliant! Straight to the point and very helpful, thank you David 🙏

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks for watching!

[@MOFUI]

this is most simple to understand explaination in youtube good job

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@JaimePradoRodriguez]

Nice analogy. I have used the term "Strategy" (Estrategia) instead of Mission (Misión). I live in Colombia and we speak Spanish. For Mission I understand what an organization is, why it exists, its reason for being. You are right, There are many different interpretations for these terms. Thank you!

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks Jaime! I appreciate the nuances language brings into play. I like "Strategy" for it too but often in American business language, strategy is something closer to planning than broader mission. Thanks for sharing your perspective from Colombia!

[@gregthomas82]

Ah yes, fantastic job of articulating “The Golden Circle” Brother Burkus! Always a pleasure listening to your teachings! 1 Cor 13:13 ♥️ Love you man! 🧂💡

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much Greg!

[@jenniferbelmore7004]

Thank you! You cleared things up greatly!

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad to hear it. Thanks so much!

[@presslock5984]

This video is spot on! Many thanks David

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much...so glad you enjoyed it.

[@Brahim.Oudades]

Wooow Great Explanation, me too i've been confused about them, thank you so much really appreciate it!

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@nwosuchukwudidavis1031]

Thanks for simplifying these... Bravo

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MehmetYldrm-gm8ei]

Clear explanation; liked and subscribed. Thank you for this valuable content.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@JustPhil-yw6bt]

Great video! Clear and easy to understand.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@edsintime]

It starts at the core of people. It starts with identifying the values of each and every team member. Those values can then articulate a series of principles which are the foundation used to identify the why, the purpose for existence.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks Ed!

[@edsintime]

@@DavidBurkus I am once again going back to writing a book (or course) that clearly articulates several key ideas: values and principles, purpose and clarity, mission and vision. The key points I regularly instill in people are the differences between mission and vision. I find that most people think they must have a mission above all else. I tell them that’s the last thing to figure out. Vision is a noun: it’s what you create. Mission is a verb: it’s what you DO to create the vision (the action). The steps: 1. Define personal core values (I think we should be teaching children about intrinsic human values). 2. Organize values into a series of principles for conduct and interpersonal relationships 3. Search for meaning and purpose that sets the stage for vocational development and personal development 4. From a place of purpose develop a vision(s) for personal life, family/community life, and career life 5. Having a vision will automatically set the stage for mission. VISION gives us direction of purpose upon which our passion and purpose can be realized. MISSION gives us strength of purpose upon which our passion and purpose can flourish.

[@romfrolov]

Wow, this channel is so underrated.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks Roman! Much appreciated.

[@jordanriver722]

Thank you so much, David! Working on my motivational speaker/life coach business, as we speak.

[@DavidBurkus]

You're welcome. Best of luck!

[@costajoao8559]

Thank you for this helpful content.

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@carlostrujillom]

excellent video thanks!

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Roxypurple1]

Thank you for this

[@DavidBurkus]

Welcome. Thanks so much for watching!

[@KiranVarri]

well explained....tyty David 👍🤩👏👏👏

[@DavidBurkus]

Thank YOU so much for watching.

[@JLW667]

1:26 Vision 2:35 Mission 3:44 Purpose

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks!

[@englishteachersaroundthewo7847]

That was really beneficial ❤ can you analyse some of thesr vision, mission statements showing how and why they are effective. I a senior teacher and Im trying to craft my own vision, can you help with that too.

[@DavidBurkus]

Great idea for a followup video. Thank you!

[@detailwun]

Desk cleaning tutorial: Hold and swipe objects to the right. Mission accomplished.

[@DavidBurkus]

Pretty much.

[@tajmathakiya]

Thank you for clearing the concept of Vision, Mission and Purpose These Statements Always confuses me. 😅

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad it was helpful!

[@donaldaconteh5204]

Very educative

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@Uju_steph]

Is purpose the same as aim or perhaps objective?

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks Kim! Objective would be similar to mission. Purpose is deeper, it’s the reason that objective is important.

[@DMCTVmedia]

Good work sir

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@ntcuong01ct1]

The mission is created by the organization capabilities, right?

[@DavidBurkus]

Basically. I would say it’s how the organization feels it can achieve its purpose.

[@ntcuong01ct1]

I have a question: vision and mission which come first?

[@DavidBurkus]

Ideally, purpose comes first. You purpose shapes what you've decided is your specific mission...and your mission shapes your vision of how the world is changed by achieving that mission.

[@ntcuong01ct1]

@@DavidBurkus , I don't understand meaning of purpose, could you help?

[@DavidBurkus]

@@ntcuong01ct1 Purpose is the reason the organization exists. Mission is the specific actions it's going to take as a result of that reason. Vision is what the world looks like once the mission is accomplished. If you'd like, here's an article version of this video that might provide more depth: davidburkus.com/2020/05/whats-the-difference-between-vision-mission-and-purpose/

[@SandySelorme]

❤❤

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks!

[@sanjayagunasekara8627]

👍👍👍😊

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks so much!

[@manzuurmuhammed]

Deserve a better fan base.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks. I'm working on it.

[@somethingbronzie]

Helpful vid. I found the music extremely distracting unfortunately

[@DavidBurkus]

Glad you found it helpful. Sorry the music wasn't your cup of tea...admittedly...I was early in my knowledge of editing when we made this.

[@JonathanLopez-zi8xc]

Lets go I was the 69th like on the video.

[@DavidBurkus]

Thanks!