Mission, Vision, Values: Time for a Tune-Up?
At transform.forward, we work with a lot of organizations - colleges and universities, nonprofits, K-12 schools, ed tech companies, and corporations. And no matter the industry, one pattern keeps showing up:
Teams are launching bold new initiatives, navigating new leadership, or addressing entirely new challenges… but clinging to old mission, vision, and values (MVV) statements that haven’t been touched in years.
Sound familiar?
Maybe your strategic plan is underway, and someone asks, “What is our mission?” Cue the awkward silence. Does anyone even know what it is anymore? When that happens, your MVV isn’t guiding anything. It’s background noise. Or maybe you’re onboarding a new leader who’s excited to move in a bold direction, only to find that the current vision statement talks more about the past than the future. How will they be able to get on board?
The truth is: MVV statements don’t last forever. They should evolve as your organization evolves, grows, and changes. They’re not just words for a plaque - they’re tools for alignment, decision-making, and inspiration. But only if they’re current, relevant, and clear.
We get it—these statements can feel like sacred documents, particularly if they were born of a beloved retreat, visionary founder, or past strategic planning process. But mission, vision, and values are not meant to be laminated and left alone.
They’re meant to evolve with your organization, reflecting who you are, what you do, and where you’re headed. They should be useful tools that drive clarity, decision-making, and alignment. When they stop doing that, they need to be revisited.
When’s the Right Time to Revisit MVVs?
You don’t need to wait for a crisis, a new leader, or a strategic planning process (though those are all great opportunities). If any of these sound familiar, it might be time for an update:
You’ve gone through a restructure or merger.
Your strategic focus has shifted significantly.
There’s confusion about your purpose or direction.
New leadership has arrived, but the old vision doesn’t fit.
Your values read more like a corporate jargon bingo card than a lived reality.
If your team hasn’t looked at your MVV in a while, there’s a good chance it’s due for a tune-up. A light refresh can go a long way in bringing clarity back to your culture and communication.
What Makes a Strong MVV?
Let’s start with what doesn’t: abstract words, generic phrases, and broad statements that could apply to any organization with a nice website.
A strong mission is specific and active. It answers the “what” and “why” of your work.
A vision is future-focused but grounded in possibility, not fantasy.
And values? They should reflect behavior. How your team actually shows up, not just how you’d like to sound in a press release.
When MVVs are working well, they’re repeated, referenced, and real. They’re not hiding in a PDF or collecting dust behind a SharePoint login.
We’ve been in rooms where a new leader is trying to inspire their team, only to get stuck reconciling their message with a dusty vision statement. We’ve seen strategic plans that say all the right things but clash with outdated values. And we’ve worked with incredible teams who didn’t even realize they were missing the opportunity to re-ground themselves in a shared purpose.
An aligned MVV helps everyone, from frontline staff to executives, make better decisions and move in the same direction. It can shape hiring practices, clarify communication, and remind people why they chose this work in the first place.
If your team can’t easily say what your mission is, or worse, doesn’t believe in it, it’s time to pause.
We Can Help
Whether you’re building a strategic plan, launching a new initiative, or just feeling that your current MVV no longer fits, we’re here to help you through the process. That could mean:
Facilitating deep, reflective conversations with leadership and staff.
Gathering stakeholder input to ensure your MVV is inclusive and authentic.
Drafting language that reflects both who you are now and who you want to be next.
Your mission, vision, and values should be tools that you use, not just statements you stash away in a drawer or hide on a tucked-away webpage. If they’re not helping you lead, communicate, and inspire, it’s time for a refresh.
If your MVV feels misaligned, outdated, or more like decoration than direction, we’d love to help. Whether you need a full refresh or just a tune-up, we’ll meet you where you are. Schedule a discovery call with our team to start this conversation today!
