Based on the situation at Saint Francis de Sales Schools, the organization is suffering from a lack of vision and confusion with regards to its mission. There is not enough forward-looking perspective in the organization; the school has continuously been resting on its laurels instead of planning for the future (Klag, Giroux & Langley, 2012). Instead of focusing on the changes in the society and how the school should adopt to meet them—such as the rise of technological advancements in the Digital Age, and the demands of demographic shifts—the school has instead dithered away without growing its list of donors or building for tomorrow. Therefore, vision statement for Saint Francis de Sales Schools should be: To be the number 1 leader in secondary school academic performance and all-around accomplishment in England.

The mission statement for Saint Francis de Sales Schools should be: 1) To form well-rounded students by adopting a balanced approach to creating a Catholic environment while providing students with a well-rounded curricular and extra-curricular programs; 2) to provide students with an environment in which they can form and establish life-long friendships; 3) to provide students with attractive physical facilities; 4) to incorporate technology into the curriculum and learning environment in a meaningful and supportive way so that students can develop top-notch technological skills and knowledge that they can use to further their advancement in whatever field they choose to pursue in adulthood; and 5) to raise funds through donors and institutions by communicating the mission and vision statements of the school, touting its past record, and promoting an ideal depiction of where the school is heading in the 21st century to help students achieve their dreams and prepare them to attain their ambitions.

Criteria

Vision Statement

The criteria for establishing a quality vision statement should be based on possibilities instead of probabilities (Kim & Mauborgne, 2002). The reason it is called a vision statement is because it is meant to give people a big vision—an ideal depiction of what the company aims to be. The criteria for a strategic vision should be:

1. It provides a picture of where the organization should be in 5 to 10 years—what it should look like, what it will have achieved, and where it will be going from there.

2. It should represent an ideal situation for the organization—an all-the-dreams-have-come-true type of image: in other words, the strategic vision statement should represent the height of the organization’s accomplishments—the peak of the mountain, the goal that might seem impossible to some but...

It should clarify the direction in which the organization has to go; there should be no confusion or ambiguity about where the organization is heading when the vision statement is read.
4. It should be phrased in such a way that stakeholders and workers have a sense of the macro—the big picture, the larger purpose of the organization.

5. It should offer guidance for managerial decision-making, shaping the organization’s strategy and impacting how the organization is run from that point on (Kouzes & Posner, 1996).

Mission Statement

The criteria for establishing a quality mission statement should be:

1. It should be informative—this means it should give a sense of the organization’s most meaningful objectives and goals—not goals that are 20 years off but goals that the organization aims to work on right now and over the course of the next few years.

2. It should...…why they are important. It is precise and specific but not endless worded and written.

Thus, it is also memorable and can stick in the mind easily. Anyone who reads this mission statement will realize that this is a school that is focused on becoming better and bigger in every way: it wants to re-orient its curriculum, it wants to build out its campus and renovate to bring in better facilities, and so on. The statement is not one that is going to be forgotten simply because it is highlighting such major goals that would cause anyone to stand up and pay attention.

Fourth, each of the goals is achievable and measurable. The funding it secures can be measured and should be achievable based on the school’s reputation and contacts. Developing a new curriculum and enhancing facilities will be easy once the funding is secured.

Fifth, the mission statement will promote stakeholder buy-in. Those who hear it will easily be able to believe in the school and its mission because the school has covered all the basic areas that need to be covered in order to appeal to stakeholders. The mission statement shows that the school is listening to what the people are saying and is responding to their needs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the vision and mission statements should promote the ideals and goals that the organization wants to achieve. It should show where the organization aims to be in the coming years and how it aims to get there. The mission statement and vision statement provided herein for Saint Francis de Sales Schools accomplish just that and meet all the criteria for what makes a strategic mission and vision statement.

References

Kim, W. C. &…