“What is my vision for my organisation?” That’s the question I left you with
last. So, how are you doing?
Of course you are the best judge of that, but, if your business could be
doing better, you should consider the possibility that it may be because your
vision isn't strong enough? Now I am not saying that is the case but simply
asking you to open your mind to the possibility. After all “Where there is no
vision the people perish” can just as easily be stated as, “Where there is no
vision the business dies.” That being the case, you have no reason not to at
least reassess your vision.
You see vision is like a windscreen – unless you clean it often, the bugs, splash
and splatter start to detract from your view of the road ahead. You become so focused
on your journey, the progress you are making and what the dashboard is telling
you that you don’t even notice. Well, running a business or a division or a
department is similar. You can soon become so bottom-line fixated – the
dashboard and the road ahead – that you fail to notice your diminished or
distorted vision.
So how do you clear your “(business) windscreen”?
You go back to the source. You return to the reason for the business in the
first place and to the values that drive both its purpose and the execution of
that purpose. Only then will you:-
- Understand how best to properly plan your
course; - Be able to communicate clearly and create the shared
values that ensure success and sustainability; - Be open to the possibility that success and
sustainability don’t depend on you alone.
In other words to have a clear vision you must have clearly defined values
that are aligned with the organisational purpose. Values are your power source. It
is they that define, delineate and deliver a community – and your organisation
is ultimately and unavoidably a community.
As a leader you are a community builder. No community = no business. So be
sure you understand how your values define your vision, and your vision shapes
your behaviours, and all these combine to cement the community. The stronger
they are the stronger the community, and the more successful and more sustainable your
organisation will be. It’s not rocket science, is it?