Develop Your Vision

Did you every wonder if man would have reached the moon if we did not see it?
Could an athlete win a race if they could not see or imagine the finish line?
Could a mountain climber reach the top of the summit if he/she never actually saw it?

What do they all have in common? – A goal, vision, target – an image that inspires and excites them into action.

Children have an amazing ability to dream and make it reality. As we get older, that ability to dream and be creative is diminished. Education and business tells us, “Don’t be wrong”, “Don’t take a chance”. If you are not willing to take a chance, you will never be creative; you will never come up with any imaginative ideas.

For this reason it is very important that we spend time dreaming, imagining, thinking about what we want in the future. As a business, where do we want to be in 5 years, 10 years time?

Defining a vision for an organization is essential. A vision statement is a vivid idealized description of a desired outcome that inspires, energizes and helps you create a mental picture of your target. Any business with one or more employees should have a vision. If you have more than one employee then it is essential to communicate, share, and agree that vision. Otherwise you might end up being a great mountain climber but climbing a different mountain to your colleagues.

Focus on what you want to achieve, not what you want to avoid. Try this for a second, think about not being fat. What image is in your head? I bet it is an image of you being fat! Think about being thin, what image is in your head? Is it different? The vision has to be what you want to move towards, not away from.

Vision is not just about seeing. The vision of a chef is possibly an aroma or taste. Ghandi’s vision was a feeling, one of peace and equality. A musician’s vision is that perfect sound. What’s important is your ability to describe what you want. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it smell, taste like? How do I measure it? How would I know it when I am there? Many businesses say they have a vision because they have the slogan; Best in the eyes of the world, Excellence in Vision; We have you Covered; One with You, Just do it, etc. You need to immerse yourself and the organization into that vision. Get them to stand in their organization 5 years from now and see, feel, hear, sense what success is like. Get them to see what they are doing now, in the future. Get them to understand what is different from today. Get them to experience it. There is a huge difference in looking at a photo of Mount Everest and listening to a mountaineer to has just come back from the summit.

Once you define your dream/vision you must define milestones to get there. A plan is a dream with deadlines. Everything you do must connect to the vision. The strategies you undertake, the activities you do, the people you hire and work with, the way you behave, what you value, what you say, They all need to be congruent with the vision.