Did you start your business with a fully formed vision of what you wanted it to be? Most of us don’t. Circumstances such as a loss of a job, relocation or dissatisfaction with a previous position cause us to just take action and launch. Our focus is on “doing” our business, and getting it off the ground rather than what we want the business to “be”. Ready, fire, and then aim (maybe!).
The vision (aim) must get clarified for the business to continue to succeed. The clarity of the vision determines priorities and actions and how time, energy and other resources get allocated. If the vision is weak or doesn’t look beyond the end of the week or month, activity will reflect that. Without a compelling view of the future, only the things that bring near-term satisfaction will get done. Work on long-term or more difficult projects that would move the business toward the vision, won’t happen. Growth stalls. Sound familiar?
So what is vision?
Vision is something seen for the future. It is an internal view of the way you want things to be and it involves anticipation, foresight, perception, conception and desire. It pulls you forward (how powerful is that!) and creates excitement, ownership and inspiration toward goals, which are the steps along the way toward the vision.
You “see” how important this is for leadership; you’ve got major skin in the game. Now consider the people on your team and those you want to add. Do they “see” your vision?
Since vision is internal, you’ve got to do a great job of describing and defining what it is. And that isn’t easy. Why is it so hard to express or share our vision? In his book Start with Why, Simon Sinek teaches us about the limbic area of the brain. This is the area that holds those thoughts and emotions that make up our vision – the why. The trouble is, the limbic area is disassociated with the area of the brain that controls language making it even more challenging to outwardly express this internal picture that we hold. Sigh!
Now you recognize the importance of having and vocalizing a vision. You can learn more about how to discover and define your vision here. Or you can work with someone whom has helped numerous companies define theirs.