Defining Values, Mission, Vision, & Goals
21 Dec 2012 Leave a Comment
in Inspirational Tags: goals, mission, team building, values, vision, year end stuff
With the end of the year nearing, we at Print & Copy Factory and all staff members, will be revisiting that time-honored tradition of planning for the new year.We have done this as a tradition for 20 years now, and find that not only for professionally – but for each employee, creating these goals for themselves, we have found to be a very powerful team building exercise – as a commitment to their lives.
As part of the planning, we need to define what we want to accomplish. In order for our plan to be complete and comprehensive, we need to start with four elements:
- Values
- Mission
- Vision
- Goals
Many people have a tough time determining what values, mission, vision, and goals really are. Everyone knows they should have them, but most of us aren’t sure what each of these elements actually is or how they differ from one another.
Let’s end the confusion today!
Values are the qualities you stand for.
Mission is how you intend to change the world around you.
Vision is how you see yourself or your business in one year, two years, five years, or even longer down the road.
Goals are the outcomes you want to achieve over the next week, month, quarter, or year.
That’s it!
Of course, you could write whole books about each of these topics, but that’s all you need to start with. Complete these four objectives, and you’ll be well on your way to making your dreams a reality.
An Internal Newsletter Your Team Will Love
17 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
in Design, Inspirational, Marketing Tags: newsletters, Q&A, team building, teamwork
While newsletters are a great way to build relationships with customers, many companies overlook the team-building opportunity an internal newsletter offers within their own doors, as well. Internal newsletters are a great way not only to learn more about colleagues, but also to keep employees informed about company news, events, and other important announcements. Here are a few tips for creating an internal newsletter your employees will love:
- Create a plan by defining the frequency of your newsletter (such as monthly or quarterly) and the types of articles or sections you’d like to include. Also develop a template you can easily modify for each issue.
- Encourage teamwork by assigning a few people to specific parts of the newsletter each month, such as pulling company stats (sales volume, incoming calls, trade show outcomes, etc.), writing feature articles about company events, and so on.
- Create an idea library. Stockpile various ideas, photos, jokes, quotes, seasonal graphics, etc., to save time down the road.
- Acknowledge employee birthdays, corporate anniversaries, new hires, promotions, etc.
- Consider offering a “message from the president” to make employees the first to know about new products, company changes, initiatives, etc.
- Highlight successes. If a department had an outrageous month, highlight their achievements, and offer a company-wide congratulatory message.
- Share encouraging survey results, customer compliments, and thank you notes from appreciative customers.
- Consider a Q&A section where employees can submit questions and have a leader provide answers in an open forum for all to see.
