Inside: Everything you need to write the perfect vision statement for your pharmacy.
Every day, you come into the pharmacy to dispense prescriptions, counsel patients, and provide other indispensable healthcare resources to your community. But if someone asked you why you did those things, would you have a quick answer?
If that question would make you draw a blank, it could be a sign that you need a vision statement for your pharmacy.
What is a vision statement?
A vision statement is a short statement that captures your pharmacy’s values and foundational principles.
It can be inspirational, but more importantly, it should be an everpresent guidepost for your pharmacy staff as they go about their daily tasks.
Often, businesses create vision statements before they are up and running as a part of their initial business plan, but even if your pharmacy has been in business for years, it’s not too late to establish a vision statement. Here’s how.
Why do you need a vision statement?
A vision statement can serve as a critical reference point: for you, for your staff, and for your patients.
For you, a vision statement can help you make decisions that align with your values. As you have the opportunity to expand your business and offer more products and services, going back to your vision statement can help you prioritize what’s most important.
Since you don’t have unlimited resources, you’ll have to choose what products and services are most important to your pharmacy as you grow, and one way to decide is by asking yourself which options best align with your pharmacy’s vision.
For your staff members, a vision statement can be an important motivational driver that keeps them engaged in their work. Instead of clocking in every day and going through the motions until they can clock out, a vision statement can serve as a reminder that their work has a greater purpose.
It can also be an important tool in establishing your pharmacy’s workplace culture. If your vision statement says something about always providing friendly service, that can help set the tone among employees.
For patients and other community members, your vision statement can communicate what matters to your pharmacy. It’s a succinct way to let them know what makes you different from your big-box store competition.
You may want to put your vision statement on your marketing materials, but it’s more than just a slogan. It tells patients and potential patients about your pharmacy’s unshakeable principles.
How do you write a vision statement?
Use these strategies to establish your pharmacy’s values and create a vision statement that encompasses them.
Think big picture
Forget your SMART goals when thinking about your vision statement. Instead, go big or go home.
While your mission statement focuses on what your pharmacy is doing right now, your vision statement should encompass your long-term hopes and dreams. If you aren’t sure how to put those into words, ask yourself questions like:
- What are the pharmacy’s values?
- Who are we serving?
- What problems does the pharmacy want to solve?
- Why is it a problem?
- What do we believe is the answer to that problem?
- How will things be different if we solve the problem?
Using the answers, you should be able to come to a conclusion about what matters most to your pharmacy and start shaping them into a vision statement.
Be specific
Your vision statement should help you differentiate your pharmacy from all the other options out there. If any other pharmacy could slap your vision statement on their marketing materials and nothing would seem amiss, that’s a sign that it’s not specific enough.
Keep it short
A vision statement is not a step-by-step plan for how to achieve your goals. Instead, it should be a pithy and memorable phrase. Most vision statements only need to be one sentence long — two at the most.
To whittle down all your big dreams into a single idea, start with this framing: “In 10 years, our pharmacy will have…”
Follow through
Once you’ve finalized your vision statement, don’t just stick it on the front of your employee handbook and forget about it. Instead, commit to it. Use it as a guideline as you make decisions in your pharmacy.
When you’re faced with a difficult business situation, ask yourself which choice embodies your pharmacy’s vision statement.
Incorporate your vision statement into your management and training. A vision statement can only be effective if your whole staff buys in, so be intentional about praising employees when they do something that aligns with the statement.
A Member-Owned Company Serving Independent Pharmacies
PBA Health is dedicated to helping independent pharmacies reach their full potential on the buy-side of their business. Founded and owned by pharmacists, PBA Health serves independent pharmacies with group purchasing services, wholesaler contract negotiations, proprietary purchasing tools, and more.
An HDA member, PBA Health operates its own NABP-accredited secondary wholesaler with more than 6,000 SKUs, including brands, generics, narcotics CII-CV, cold-storage products, and over-the-counter (OTC) products — offering the lowest prices in the secondary market.
