Do you have a vision that will call you through the pain of change? Change, real and lasting change, is difficult. We all come up against the way we have done things in the past, what is comfortable not because it always feels good, but because it is familiar to us.
In the present environment, the word vision can deteriorate into a mere buzzword, which has lost its impact to influence the future of the organization. In the 80’s we had something called a MISSION STATEMENT. Many of us were eager to jump on the bandwagon and identify what we stood for, and have it predominantly mounted on the wall in our waiting area. Then came the VISION statement, now placed predominantly above the former MISSION statement. Problem is, both have become little more than clichés, just like the verbiage used in the statements themselves. Here’s a good gauge: Take a poll and ask your staff to tell you what either the MISSION STATEMENT or the VISION STATEMENT is in their own words. Make sure they are specific. Have them give you two (2) examples of HOW this applies to doing business every day. If the lowest paid employees in the organization can not articulate those things you say you stand for the most, you do not truly have a VISION that will call you and your team beyond where you sit today.
We don’t think that the importance of having a vision has diminished. On the contrary, we believe that its importance has increased and that your vision of the future you are working toward is crucial to the success of your organization. The vision is not meant to be a “statement” that is put in a drawer (or on the wall of your waiting area) and never referred to. Rather, it is the ground and blueprint for any and all future activity. It is the centerpiece that orients all decisions and actions. The vision describes the future you want to bring to reality.
Your vision serves a guide to future decisions and actions. It brings consistency, unity, integrity and coherence to the whole organization. If there is an impasse or if there are questions about what to do or what has been done, very often these questions are answered by referring to the vision. It puts the whole organization on the same page. Therefore, have the whole organization get together to create it!
Hand in hand with the vision goes an explicit set of values. Talking about vision, about what is important, inevitably leads to what values the organization stands for. Once these are articulated and disseminated, everyone within the organization is guided by the same values and aligned toward a common purpose. And then, the much anticipated thing called ACCOUNTABILITY.
See the other articles in our series: