When Mission and Vision Don’t Match: The Tension That Can Stall Your Impact
In any mission-driven organization, your mission (the reason you exist) and your vision (where you're headed) should reinforce each other. When they don’t, tension builds. Sometimes quietly. Sometimes in ways that stall progress altogether.
One example came up in a recent leadership cohort discussion I was leading. The organization was preparing for a “back to season” push, a prime time to increase in-person attendance after the inconsistency that summer brings to people’s schedules. The marketing team was on board with some shifts that needed to be done to reinforce the ‘Plan Your Visit’ call-to-action on the website. But the Director of Marketing was hesitant to present the change to the online programming team due to some potential push back. They were worried that downplaying livestream and digital content would harm their audience base.
Both teams had valid concerns. The issue wasn’t the homepage layout — it was the underlying question neither side had fully processed together. Was the digital platform meant to stand on its own long-term, or was it a bridge to bring people back to live events?
Without that clarity, even small choices can become points of contention. Marketing saw the change as necessary. Online programming saw it as a threat to the future of their work. Yet neither one of them were acting out of malice, but walking in the decision they thought was progressing the overall vision of the organization.
Why This Tension Matters
When mission and vision aren’t aligned across departments, decisions get slower and trust wears down. People start protecting their piece instead of building toward the bigger picture.
I’ve seen this happen in real time. Teams circling the same conversation for weeks because no one’s sure what the actual priority is. And in organizations where time and resources are already tight, that drag is costly.
It gets even more complicated when leadership has turned over. You might be carrying forward a mission or vision you didn’t write, trying to apply language that predates your time. In those situations, tension goes beyond strategy and into interpretation. There has to be room for grace here. Everyone is doing their best to honor the intent, even if they don’t have the full context. That’s why clear onboarding and regular mission-based training matter. Without shared understanding, even well-meaning teams can drift in different directions.
Bringing Mission and Vision Back Into Alignment
These aren’t always big, dramatic shifts. Sometimes, realignment starts with a few clear moves:
Clarify the role of each program. Is the online platform a standalone community, or was it meant as a nurturing tool before moving in-person? You can’t make consistent decisions if you’re operating from different assumptions.
Tie strategy to shared outcomes. If the goal is to boost in-person attendance by 15 percent this season, every department should be evaluating plans to achieve that.
Name what is and isn’t changing. Change triggers resistance when people fear what they’re losing. Naming what will still be preserved helps reduce unnecessary pushback.
Make room for structured disagreement. Tension isn’t the problem. Silence is. Give teams space to raise concerns early and frame them in terms of mission and vision, not turf or preference. (Go read my previous article: The Value of Tension in Creative Teams)
The Upside of These Tensions
It’s easy to see moments like these as frustrating. I’ve felt it in my own experience when it seems like one conversation is blocking progress for everyone else. But this kind of tension can actually push an organization forward.
Handled well, it forces teams to get clear. To rearticulate what matters. And to make sure the work you’re doing supports the whole, not just one department.
In mission-driven spaces, clarity is momentum. When your mission and vision are aligned, everything else runs smoother. When they’re not, even the smallest decision can feel like a fight. Then at the end of it, those whom you are working to serve are the ones who lose out.
The goal isn’t to eliminate tension. It’s to make sure it’s taking you somewhere.
Want help navigating these tensions in your own organization?
I partner with mission-driven teams to bring clarity to communications, team culture, and audience experience. If you're facing internal misalignment or need support aligning strategy with purpose, let’s talk. Reach out here →