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There’s a reason companies have vision statements that encapsulate their values. Employees who subscribe to your mission and vision are more likely to work hard for you. According to the Dale Carnegie Institute, Enthusiastic workers outperform competitors Up to 202%. Yet times change, as the current focus on environmental, social and governance (ESG) shows. Your vision needs to be updated to accommodate this new ESG focus, but just one word is all you need to improve your relevance and impact.
Related: Vision Statements: Why you need a vision statement and how to create one
concise and all-inclusive
A good vision statement is memorableYour best bet for staying memorable is to keep your new ESG-oriented vision statement as concise as possible.
Take Cisco. If they had written something like “utilizing cutting-edge internet connectivity technology, building the best voice-over-IP system in the industry, and returning great value to our shareholders,” people probably wouldn’t have given the word. It’s not just a quick look before moving on to something more interesting. their actual vision, “Changing the way we work, live, play and learn” is more precise and jargon free. It shows that Cisco wants to be a change agent and understands the importance of connection and communication in our world.
At Merchants Fleet, we first adhered to this rule of simplicity by consolidating multiple vision statements we had for different areas of our business into one. “Allowing the free movement of people, goods and services.” He later added her one word, “Responsibly,” to update this for ESG.
Once you have a concise vision statement that incorporates some ESG values, you’re not done yet. Then you should go back and see all the training and messages the company is doing. Is there ESG value there as well?
Seeing your values consistently in everything you do drives buy-in for your vision statement. This is to show the team that you are serious about his ESG shift and are looking to follow it up with an actual action plan. At the same time, a concise vision statement helps your employees understand why they are working on their training and communicate where they are.
Related: Why companies need to think more strategically about their environmental impact
Keeping Perspectives and Promises Important
When we added the word “responsibly” to our ESG-focused vision, we realized an important point.
If our business were to suddenly get rid of all the gas-powered vehicles we have, it would seem a liability to our clients who rely entirely on electric cars, vans and trucks. It may seem irresponsible for customers who don’t have many charging stations in their homes or who have to travel distances beyond the range of electric vehicles (EVs). For one of our clients, he, it didn’t make financial sense to try to install the infrastructure that an EV would require.
Likewise, our diversity profiles in New Hampshire and Chicago are very different.In New Hampshire, our profile diversity is 5%, which is new hampshire averageChicago has 45% diversity, simply because the area is more diverse overall. Demanding 45% diversity seems like a no-brainer in Chicago, but nearly impossible in New Hampshire.
So when applying ESG, think carefully about the words you add and be careful to avoid absolutes. But even if you’re still asking for something specific. Language must be accepted and understandable on a wide range of levels, but flexible enough to meet the needs and expectations of the entire base. No one should be alienated, including employees.
Likewise, make sure your mission statement is realistic and achievable. If you choose words that don’t live up to your promises, your customers will see that you’re not doing what you say and lose their trust. Suppose you are an airline. Adding the phrase “on time” to your mission statement can result in a huge number of complaints. Airlines have too many variables to promise perfect arrival at every point. However, adding “safely” makes it much easier to achieve consistently.
Best practice is to be timeless and aim for something a little better than what you had. Keep buzzwords and trends on the shelf. Because the more you change your vision statement, the less memorable or sticky it becomes.
Related: Three letters that make a company more successful and sustainable
Journey, action and accountability are all in progress
Remembering the connection between your ESG vision statement and your company’s practices, think of your vision statement as an ongoing journey. Please check back periodically to make sure it still works in a genuine way.
Whenever you tweak your statements and add words, make sure you have a plan of action and accountability. When we added “responsibly” to Merchants Fleet’s vision statement, it was clear that we were adding an ESG team. But your move could also include regrouping, doing more training, and developing your checks and balances. Expect a report summarizing what you are doing along the way and the results you get. The rule is to understand that you are signing up to develop new goals, and take additional actions on those you add.
Related: Why ESG companies are well-prepared to weather the economic storm
ESG can bring about both stability and positive change
ESG gets more press than ever before, but this is what good companies have always done, and the need to translate ethics into action is always relevant. ESG values can anchor a business across multiple generations in powerful ways. At the same time, they help you grow and continually explore ways to be of greater help to everyone around you. Integrate these values into a vision statement that underpins everything you do. Then you get the necessary consent for the positive change you want.
