We’ve talked about values; now, let’s talk vision!
I’ve learned from experience that confusion and frustration will reign without a consistent, clear, and compelling vision. Think of it this way, when I need my 6-year-old to do something — he needs to understand “why,” and he’ll ask “why” until he gets a compelling reason. But, of course, it’s never as easy as “because I said so,” and to be frank, that’s not the best way to build trust or confidence with him. I know you won’t be leading a group of 6-year-olds at work, but the underlying premise is to create and share a consistent, clear, and compelling vision.
Now you may be asking: Why does vision matter? Aren’t sales goals enough? Consider this: How should teams align without a clearly defined vision? How do they strategize or work together? How do they know what problems to solve? How do you keep everyone on the same page? How do you keep a group of people excited about what they are doing? How do you measure progress if you can’t do the above?
Answer: You don’t! You burn money, time, and patience, lose ground to competitors, and won’t hit those pesky financial goals we measure against! Even worse, if you can’t define what progress looks like, your team will lose confidence, and indifference will set it. Once that happens, innovation and engagement will tank, as will the results. People will leave. Morale will decline.
So what do you do if there isn’t a vision? RUN!!! If your team is not interested in creating a vision, find somewhere else to work. A lack of interest in this area is a massive red flag, and you’ll experience much pain. This pain will come in many forms, such as misalignment across teams, blurred lines of ownership, and unjustifiable performance evaluations. How can you be evaluated fairly if you’re constantly guessing what the target is? You can’t, and it’s improper to go through a performance evaluation under these circumstances.
A vision reflects a company’s culture. It energizes teams and sets the pace for the organization as a whole. Find somewhere with a clear, compelling vision and an organization that values hard-working people.
This pic was taken after I had to explain to my son why it benefitted him to run an errand with me. I had to sell him on going to the park! :)
