In last week’s blog post we explored some of the most common ways that vision ends up getting lost within organizations. We discovered that operational complexity within a company is one of the most frequent causes of lost vision, along with too many opportunities, and sometimes even too much success. Luckily there are things you can do to reduce the chances of your company’s vision getting lost down the road. The first thing is to properly establish your vision within the company.
Properly Establish Your Vision
Everyone within the organization must understand its vision. Leaders must ensure this occurs, and planning is the first priority.
Ideas are better grasped when they’re simple. Complex or confusing visions cannot be easily understood. No matter how well they’re communicated, they’ll remain elusive to most people. This is the thrust of leadership consultant Shaun Spearmon’s 2013 Forbes article “Your Company Vision: If It’s Complicated, It Shouldn’t Be.” A corporate vision must be constructed in a way that’s easy to understand and remember. As theatrical producer David Belasco once said, “If you can’t fit your idea on the back of a business card, you don’t have a clear idea.” Leaders need to begin with a simple and memorable vision so it can meaningfully take root in people’s minds.
Leaders next must communicate this vision to their people. A great idea that remains a secret is as useless as a bad idea that everyone hears. Gather people together, and explain your vision. Let them understand its meaning, your reasons for it and the impact it should have on their daily roles.
As Andy Stanley emphasizes in Making Vision Stick, an effective vision expresses concern about a problem in the marketplace and offers a solution. Visions yield value when they solve problems or make something better. A vision implies that failure to follow it creates substantial setbacks.
Walmart offers an excellent example of vision in its slogan: “Save Money. Live Better.” The company’s vision is clear: to help as many people as possible experience a better life by saving money on things they need. It’s simple, memorable and solves a problem to which everyone can relate. Who doesn’t want a better life? Who doesn’t want to save money?
Leaders must emphatically propose their vision to ensure its longevity. Vision should emotionally engage people to convince them of its importance. In other words, vision cannot take hold if people fail to understand its vital role in solving the identified market problem. It cannot be separated from the organization’s planning, practices, and personality. Selling a vision with this kind of impact helps ensure it will have a longer life.
Are you struggling with defining and establishing the vision for your company? No problem – I’m here to help you! As always, I would love to hear from you. I can be reached here or on LinkedIn.
