Re: Difference Between Ambition,Aim,Goal,Objective,Vision

HI Senior Members and friends!
I want to know about the difference between Ambition, Aim,Goal,Objective,Vision?????
Thanks
Komal

Hi

From a management perspective we would need to see these terms in a way that is different from the plain English meanings. From that point of view, I am taking the liberty of explaining these terms as I understand and interpret them.

Ambition - Our broad professional and personal desires eg. Want to head a company, want to own xyz brand of car, a house in xyz premium location etc.

Aim - Our specific focus areas eg. should be able to earn abc amount the next 3 years or we should reach this level/ designation/ salary range by abc age

Goal - Aligning our ambition and aim both for short term time frames as well as synchronizing it with the long term time frames eg. working towards changing our job profile to ensure that we pick up the right skill sets and our potential is recognized so as to meet our aims and move towards our ambition.

Vision - seeing the BIG picture / the skill of visualizing and thinking beyond the obvious eg. being able to see the changing marketing trends or the technological changes or being able to create new opportunities

Trust I have been able to clarify these terms to your satisfaction.

If you are interested you are also welcome to read the following Inspirational and Motivational Blogs that could give you a variety of insights into daily living.

www.actspot.wordpress.com - Daily Blog
www.poweract.blogspot.com - Weekly Blog

Regards

Dear Komal
Mr jacob has been able to explain all the words.
There is not much of a difference in these words. They mean the same, but it is in different degrees, that's all. Please see the following brief interpretations:
Ambition - it is a strong desire of one's life time for a bigger achievement without any time frame
Aim - It is a specific goal of an individual or a group with a specific time frame of a single or mutliple subject
Goal - It is an aim of an individual or a group target with a focus on specific subject
Vision - it is an idea, a thinking of an individual or a group or a community for betterment of the group, or world at large
You may also clarify in what context you want to understand these ??
Regards
K.Ramachandra
Bangalore

Dear Komala,

Namaste.

Ambition: "Ambition should be made of sterner stuff" Shakespeare in Julius Caesar. A strong desire to do or achieve some thing. Only that and nothing else would do.

Aim: "Aim at the bull's eye". In a broader sense, an amount of uncertainty is involved. You may hit the bull's eye or not. Not all is lost if what is aimed achieved with a reasonable amount of accuracy.
You aim to get a 1st prize but ended second. The ambition is not fulfilled but almost achieved with reasonable degree of aberration.

Goal:The goal is to hit the bull's eye. A destination of the aim.

Objective: Not as strong a desire as ambition. May be revised over a period of time depending on the situation or parameters involved. You aimed for a first prize, but ended second. Not bad - you contend.

Vision: A broader goal. A dream. Nothing is concrete, a very turbid or fluid stage in deciding a goal.

Hope I could give a clear picture. This is the aim. You are now clear. So I achieved my goal(of providing you clarity)

Sarma Duvvuri

All these words are to proove that one belongs to the top management. There are a few more words too...eg. Motto, Target, Misson etc etc.....The moment you find that you are using these words quite often......it means you are climbing up the corporate ladder.......Moreover all these words can be depicted in simple lines which means "Work Hard, Efficiently and Effectively"...............rgrds

There cannot be any distinguishably difference between all these words. These words are unrelated but complementary of each other. In fact these are taught at academics level. Thereafter most of them lose their relevance. In actual management, there are only two words:
Objective
and
Vision
Rest all are the steps of ladder to meet the vision from the objectives.
Vision is often incorporated into an organizational mission (or vision) statement to clarify what the organization hopes to be doing at some point in the future. The vision should act as a guide in choosing courses of action for the organization.

Dear D.komala

I think it is time you should respond to the members. One can look for the meaning of these words in a dictionary or online resources. Apart from meaning, synonyms or usage would also help in distinguishing one from the other, as you"ll notice that although these words have similar meaning; one can not substitute another word, when the context so demands.

I would reiterate the meanings here :

ambition : a strong (and more focussed) desire. it may also mean non-satiation, as in "an ambitious person" or "an ambitious company"

aim : a process of aligning efforts towards something as a target ("to take aim", e.g. "aiming for the best results")

goal : an end-result; a target, an objective to be achieved ("...the process achieved the goal of reducing the machine hours to...")

objective : a well-defined purpose (e.g. Following are the objectives of the study...)

vision : the broad canvas, tapestry or picture of what one intends to see or achieve in future (e.g. Mahatma Gandhi's vision for India..); in case of companies, it implies how the founders see it beyond horizons of time...

Apart from the above there are similar other popular words which you must make yourself familiar with, such as missions, strategies etc.

Warm regards.

Hi,
Ambition: Is the "determination" towards your interest.
Aim: Is what you "aspire" to do.
Goal: Is nothing but your focus to attain something.
Objective: Is the intention or the reason or the purpose for beginning or doing any new process of work.
Vision: Is a "dream coming true after a long run", thinking about the future down the line of 10 years.
Warm Regards,
Krishna