CEdO555 - Post 2 - Mission and Vision

This week we continued our investigation of ePortfolios.  One of the key ingredients of an ePortfolio is the Mission and Vision statements.  I admit that I have always struggled with the difference between these terms.  When I start to write one, I often end up bringing in elements from the other.  I think the definition that was given in class is one of the best explanations that I have heard.  A Vision is where you want to end up, and a Mission is how you will get there.  This really helped clarify the difference for me.  The Vision should just be about the end result or goal.  It should describe the ultimate purpose of your career or life, or what the world would look like if you complete your Mission.  The Mission on the other hand is what you will do to get to that place.  What actions are you taking now that will make your Vision into reality?  Is there a sequence of events that would get you there?

I think there is one characteristic of these statements that is often overlooked.  They need to be "real".  I have helped create Vision and Mission statements for companies and departments, but these often did not include language that could be translated into the real world.  To make the statements sound important, they use long words that will confuse more people than they will guide.  The phenomenon is so bad that Dilbert even created a "Mission Statement Generator".  While this tool is no longer available on the internet, here are some examples of its output:

"We have committed to synergistically fashion high-quality products so that we may collaboratively provide access to inexpensive leadership skills in order to solve business problems"

"It is our job to continually foster world-class infrastructures as well as to quickly create principle-centered sources to meet our customer's needs"

"Our challenge is to assertively network economically sound methods of empowerment so that we may continually negotiate performance based infrastructures"

My mission (for this assignment) is to create "Real" Vision and Mission statements, that simply and plainly explain my values in language that everyone can understand.