Stamats Insights
February 2, 2019
When I work with clients on strategic planning there is a question that is always posed: what are the qualities of a great vision?
Recently, as part of a project with a small private college in the Midwest, I asked board members to evaluate the following visions in light of the qualities presented above. Note the number in parentheses after each vision statement? That number indicates the statements word length. There seems to be a correlation between great visions and brevity.
Most agreed that the visions outlined above met the qualities we enumerated.
I then asked the board to critique the vision outlined below.
Here are some of their responses:
Of course, it’s not totally fair to compare the college vision with the visions of Oxfam and Disney.
Or is it?
I then presented the vision statement from Ithaca:
Ithaca College strives to become the standard of excellence for residential comprehensive colleges, fostering intellect, creativity, and character in an active, student-centered learning community.
Short.
Clear.
Offers direction.
Captivating.
Differentiates.
All in all, a great vision.
So here’s the final question: How would your institution’s vision fare against the seven qualities outlined above?
If it falls short on more than one or two qualities, it might be time to revisit your vision.