Vision Statement

A vision statement states what the organization aspires to achieve. Broader than a mission statement, it describes the ideal state when the organization’s mission has been completely fulfilled. Vision statements focus on outcomes. They are future-focused and inspirational. Often a vision statement will be used as a rallying cry to inspire stakeholders starting with the governing body, through executive leadership and employees. Because of its visionary, future focus, a vision statement is often used to guide strategic decision making.

A vision statement

• Focuses on an outcome
• Guides strategic decision making
• Is inspirational as well as realistic
• Is a shared vision among the organization’s governing body, executive leadership, and employees

Goals

Once an organization has decided on its mission, vision, and values, it can start to identify how it is going to do the work it needs to meet the mission. Goals are the first step in this process.

An organization’s goals specify what it is the organization strives to achieve. They describe the future results toward which your organization aspires. Goals are identified based on the organization’s overall objectives, purpose, and mission. Typically, strategic goals are established by management in conjunction with its governing body during the strategic planning process. However, they can also be set by you or the staff and then approved by the larger organization through an appropriate process. Strategic goals are broad and focus on general issues. Tactical goals focus on what needs to be done operationally to achieve strategic goals. These types of goals are generally set by management on more of an operational level. Operational goals are usually shorter in term and support tactical goals. Often the terms “operational goal” and “objective” are used interchangeably.

Here are a few key adjectives to describe effective goals: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. Specific goals are straightforward; they focus on exactly what needs to be accomplished and how. An overall goal may be to stimulate economic development in your area. Make the goal specific by indicating how that will be accomplished within the scope of your mission. Most likely you are not planning to open up a Wal-Mart to stimulate the economy.

Goals that are measurable clearly indicate when they have been achieved and may have room for measurable progress/milestones along the way to success. A goal to increase interest in your locale among filmmakers may be worthy, but it is difficult to measure. A goal to attract three producers to make a visit to your area in the next 18 months is not only measurable but also allows for incremental progress to be tracked.

Your goals should be attainable. That doesn’t mean they should be “easy;” there should be an element of challenge, and you should want to stretch to some degree since that is where organizational growth occurs. Think about what is achievable with the resources you have available and some creativity. Look at opportunities lost in the past and think about how you could cultivate similar prospects in the future.

Make your goals realistic. While you might like to have three major films shot in your area next year, chances are that for many jurisdictions, that will not come to pass.

Managing expectations is a critical part of goal-setting. Many film commissioners set themselves up for failure by setting unrealistic goals and expectations. If a small jurisdiction, off the beaten path, gets a television documentary, a series of commercials, or a small indie film – that may very well be a major success and should be treated as such. Expecting to land a major studio film is not the proper benchmark for success for many film commissions.

Finally, goals need to be timely. Specifying a date or time for completion makes your goal more specific, and provides a sense of urgency in getting started. Goals with no end date are more easily put off in favor of more pressing, short-term issues or day to day fires. Your timeline should also be measurable, attainable and realistic