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Creating and Communicating a Robust Vision for Your Organization

Are you merely working, or are you building toward the best possible future you can achieve? And what about the people who work in your organization? Are they ingaged with you to build something that will last, and maybe even make a permanent contribution to the world we live in? The first step toward meaningful work is creating a vision for what you want to achieve in the world.

For an organization to thrive, it requires a robust vision that it can show to the world. The need for such a vision is fundamental and straightforward. If every individual in an organization understands the company’s intended direction and is aware of their roles and responsibilities in actualizing this vision, the result is a harmonious organization operating like a rowboat powered by coordinated rowers. Everyone is rowing in unison, towards a common destination.

Identifying Roadblocks

Running an organization can be challenging and complex, which is often why organizations overlook the importance of focusing on a long-term vision. There’s immediate work that demands attention!

But there are other reasons companies fail to develop vision . . .

  • Leadership may genuinely lack a vision as they are too consumed in day-to-day business operations to formulate one.
  • Leaders may have a vision, but assume it’s inherently understood by all since it appears clear to them . . . but not really clear to others.
  • Leaders may possess a vision but hesitate to share it due to fear of judgment or mockery.

Some leaders are fearful of charting new territory. If no one has ever shared a vision with them, why should they? They overlook that a robust vision can make them significantly more potent than their competitors. “Dare to be different” is a philosophy worth considering.

Building Blocks of a Vision

Although one executive’s vision differs from another’s, they generally encompass certain elements:

  • A lucid declaration of the company’s intended destination, such as becoming the leading manufacturer of glass fiber panels in the U.S.A, or the top vocational training institute in a specific field.
  • A detailed plan outlining how the company intends to reach the stated goal. This could involve entrusting employees with leadership roles, or deploying technological solutions to design and deliver products to the market.
  • A proclamation of deeper societal or human values. While it’s not mandatory to declare that your enterprise will positively impact your local community, if such thought forms a part of your belief system, why not include it in your vision statement?

Here’s What to Do

Divide the company into small groups. Invite the members of each to work together to create a description of where they think your organization will be in five years. Have each group choose a representative and then bring the representatives together.  Share and compare those visions, looking for both common areas of agreement and new conceptions of what your future will be. Really large organizations may need to have multiple layers of this process.  At the end you have a powerful vision that you can and should share with the world.

 

Evan Hackel
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