An effective vision statement should describe an aspirational future state that your team is working to achieve and should provide positive motivation for all team members. This vision should present a clear direction to the team so they understand how their commitment and hard work will result in achieving this vision.
Note: A vision statement also indicates, implicitly or explicitly, the trade-offs that the team will take into account in pursuit of that vision. For example, if your vision statement focuses on "quality", this indicates to the team that they should sacrifice "speed" if this ever negatively impacts quality.
5 Tips for creating a compelling Vision Statement:
Include your team in the vision creation process.
They are more likely to accept and embrace the vision if they are involved in its creation.
Schedule a dedicated meeting with your team to discuss and define the team's vision.
Do this well in advance to give them time to think and come up with ideas. If possible, try to set up an in-person event at an off-site location so that distractions are minimized and the team can achieve optimal collaboration.
Be bold yet realistic.
A vision should challenge your team to work towards an aspirational objective, but it should be attainable and align with the organization's vision and goals. It should relate to what your team does, and push them to do it better.
Make sure the team is on board with the vision.
It's important for each member to believe that the team's vision will benefit the team, the organization, and all of the individual team members. Spend time in your 1:1s discussing the vision to ensure that they fully understand it and aren't withholding concerns within the group discussions.
Make sure your vision statement remains relevant and top-of-mind.
Incorporate it into the everyday workflow of the team so that it becomes the guiding principle from which the team operates and makes decisions. Use the vision statement to guide and validate the goals and objectives that the team creates over time.