I am teaching the entrepreneurial mindset right now and have really been struck by the section on Vision. I have been reminded just how often it is not taught to leaders or encouraged and how critical it is for accomplishing goals and success at the individual, team, and organization level.
“If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you.” Steve Jobs
That quote applies at all levels!
I think the past couple of years have brought so much uncertainty that in many ways individuals and organizations have been concerned about putting a stake in the ground related to their visions. We have all been more in survival mode than success or significance. Vision is so critical for personal, professional and organization growth. Time to step back and dust off or develop a vision that is compelling, that pulls you and others to it. When the vision, the why, is clear, the how gets figured out.
If motivation and engagement are lower for you personally, your team or organization, find out if the vision is clear and compelling. Make sure that it is inspirational and aspirational. Use words that paint pictures and imagery of the desired future. If it is an individual vision, read it often and fine tune it. If it is an organization vision communicate it and reinforce it through words, actions, and decisions.
Without a clear sense of direction, it is easy to go astray sometimes without even realizing it. The vision serves as the true north guiding light. Vision gives meaning to the day to day, the sometimes mundane. When you combine the day to day, with a clear vision you get purpose, meaning and momentum.
Think about an emergency situation and you can see how the vision to deal with it can quickly transform normal into extraordinary. You don’t have to have an emergency to develop that energy. Marry a compelling vision with clear goals, strategies, actions and timeframes and you get momentum.
A clear vision brings focus and can cut through confusion and chaos. Remember that if a ship, plane, or organization is just 1 degree off as it moves forward very quickly, it ends up way off course. That means that we all need to be reminded constantly what the vision is so that we are not even 1 degree off course.
To assist you in developing a vision using pictorial language, listen to some visionary speeches like John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Steve Jobs, or so many others…google that.
“Everybody ends up somewhere in life. A few people end up somewhere on purpose. Those are the ones with vision.” ~Andy Stanley
Have fun reenergizing around a vision for 2022 and beyond!
To learn more about how to create a compelling vision reach out to me at janet@berkshiregroupinc.com
