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Many years ago (say 12), after being the proponent of vision, mission and values as I was working with a client on their employee engagement. I was also questioning whether the concept of Vision and Mission was done; old news; tired. In interviewing the employees, what came out loud and clear was that they were desperate for something that gave them hope that there was a future. In other words, a vision. The organization had gone through several waves of dramatic change, and they were looking for something from their leaders that kept them looking forward, toward a ‘wonderful new tomorrow.’ This brought back my faith in the importance of vision in fostering forward momentum. Since then, OrganizationDynamic has helped many organizations and individuals shape their vision for the future and build their plans around this.
Think about any aspiration you have. Painting this into a vision that you can keep front and centre as you make decisions and take action ensures you are taking steps in the right direction. Consider your desire to get fit, or lose weight. Setting a goal is a good first step. Translating this into a vision or picture of what it will look like adds to the focus.
Consider now, your career. In previous articles, I have talked about one’s personal development plan as your personal strategic plan. This starts with a vision of what you are aspiring to. Your acton plan comes from taking steps that support this direction.
As a business leader, vision allows you to align your people and keep them working toward this vision. This is less about having a well articulated statement that you can put on the wall. It is about your talk-track; what you espouse, what you celebrate, how you measure success.
The visual above comes from my husband Charles Marcus’s book “Success is not a Spectator Sport”, that describes his principles for success. I agree with all. It starts with Vision, but requires Courage, Responsibility and Commitment to drive success. I would add two disciplines to this to assure progress. The first is the discipline of REFLECTION. Take the time to step back and explore whether your actions have been supporting your vision. Assumed in this is the ability to redirect, admit mistakes, and celebrate successes. This brings us to the second discipline, which is RESILIENCE, which is the ability to bounce back.
As a leader, demonstrating the ability to reflect and personal resilience sets an example for those around you about forward momentum and maintaining focus. It will keep people engaged. Don’t lose sight of the importance of vulnerability and honesty as a leader as you look to lead others into the future. But don’t forget it starts with a clear VISION of where you are headed.