Folks who know me know that I like words and have high regard for people who know how to use just the right word to communicate a specific idea. Writers who write for certain publications are often held to standards that come from a specific style manual. Examples include Strunk's Elements of Style or the Chicago Manual of Style. These are essentially the "Rules of the Road" for writing.
Businesses need style manuals too. I'm not talking about Procedure Manuals, although those are important too. I'm talking about a big picture vision.
Who are you and what are you all about?
Once you know that, decisions in the business are easier. We commonly call this a Mission Statement or a Vision Statement.
Here's an example: Let's say that part of your company's Vision Statement is "to provide high end residential clients with high quality, custom landscape design." The phone rings and it's a developer who asks you to come up with a landscape plan for a strip mall. What do you do? Does it fit the company's Vision? Of course not. Perhaps the developer is a high-end residential client, and you are obligated; but if not, you really ought to think twice before taking on the project. This is, of course, a very simple example, but you get the idea.
A well-thought-out Vision or Mission Statement can provide direction for all kinds of business decisions.
Building on the example above, we use the phrase "high end clients." Perhaps that provides some guidance as to how representatives of the company ought to dress, how the phone ought to be answered and what company vehicles ought to look like. It can also help you decide the best way to promote your business. A Vision provides guidelines, not rules. Does your company have a Vision?
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