It all starts with a vision
A business usually starts to grow from an idea or dream. The originator may be a serial entrepreneur or business owner who sees an opportunity, a picture of how this idea can solve problems which customers or clients are willing to pay for. This picture is so strong and inspiring that it motivates and drives the originator to invest time and money into making it a reality.
This dream usually goes hand in hand with a business purpose, the main reason it is created and why the business exists. The business’s values inform how it will behave to fulfil its purpose.
Its vision is a picture of what the future business will look like in future. It is important to realise that initially, only the originator sees the picture. Others do not yet share in this vision and can’t believe in it, agree, or buy into it.
Only once the originator passionately lives and communicates this dream or idea can it become a reality. This is especially true for a business and its employees. A shared vision is realised through the mission: how the business plans to achieve its vision. The business will develop specific long-term goals supported by strategies or plans consisting of tactics or specific actions, sequences of actions, and schedules to bring them into effect.
However, this article focuses on the need for a clear vision to enable business growth.
The definition of a vision?
Before continuing, it might be worthwhile to look at the definition of “vision”. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines vision as follows:
- “the act or power of seeing: SIGHT
- the special sense by which the qualities of an object (such as colour, luminosity, shape, and size) constituting its appearance are perceived through a process in which light rays entering the eye are transformed by the retina into electrical signals that are transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve
- something seen in a dream, trance, or ecstasy
- a thought, concept, or object formed by the imagination
- the act or power of imagination
- mode of seeing or conceiving
- unusual discernment or foresight
- direct mystical awareness of the supernatural, usually in visible form
- something seen
- a lovely or charming sight“
It is clear from the definition that being able to see is critically important. This is also why businesses wanting to grow in the future use their vision to communicate with employees, customers, and investors. A vision needs to be clear and concise for everyone in the business to understand and buy into it with the same passion as the originator.
Why is it important for a business to have a vision?
As previously mentioned, the vision is a picture of what the future business will look like. Without a picture of where the business wants to be in the future, everyone will keep doing what they have done in the past. They may not have any inspiration or motivation to change anything.
It is important to understand that to change anything, an effort is required coinciding with discomfort. Change disrupts the current way of doing, and very few people like to change. This is why it is so difficult to make any changes in a business, and I have seen many instances where employees actively resisted changes. I always say that a baby with a dirty nappy is the only person enjoying the change.
When nothing changes, all the effort goes into maintaining the current. If you are anything like me, who does not like to be unchallenged and very much dislikes repeating the same thing, this is a recipe for trouble.
It is essential to remember that employees have their own vision, which is why they are working in the first place. In the absence of a shared vision, employees will pursue their own dreams. Their energy and attention will focus on their futures, not the business.
When maintaining a business, it is highly unlikely that it will grow. This means nothing major will change, and a vision may not be needed.
How to predict the future and grow your business.
Businesses that do want to grow also know that the future is uncertain. Peter Drucker gave some insight on how to overcome this saying – “The best way to predict the future is to create it”
A vision is a perfect tool to create your future since it provides a clear picture of what the business will look like and can inform the changes required. One obstacle to change (uncertainty) will be overcome through a clear vision of the future and can be used to mobilise and energise employees. It will provide them insight into why changes are required and establish employee buy-in. A vision gives employees something to work towards, focussing and aligning their efforts. Knowing where the business is heading helps unify employees, positively impacting organisational effectiveness. It guides actions and decision-making and allows employees to become more productive. Knowing where you are heading makes it easier to take accountability and facilitates self-management, which drives efficiency and effectiveness.
How to build a clear vision for your business.
Writing a vision for your business can be challenging since it needs to communicate the business purpose and values and define future goals.
Firstly, knowing who should be involved when writing the vision is important. Smaller businesses may involve everyone, while larger organisations may only involve top management. When involving only top management, it is very important to still get input from employees.
When creating a new future, it is always important to understand the current situation. The team needs to review the purpose (why the business exists) and the values (how the business behaves) of the business. Consider current commitments to customers or clients as well as other stakeholders. Reviewing the current business model or models will provide good insights into the current capabilities and competencies of the business. Numerous tools and models are available to assist with this phase, like Porter, SWOT, PESTLE analysis and many others.
Next is to determine what the future business will look like and what the business would like to achieve. This can be done through various mechanisms, from brainstorming workshops to individual interviews.
Some questions you might want to consider during this phase are:
- What will the world look like when your vision is realised?
- What is the desired end-state for this business?
- How would things be different if my dream came true?
- What would success look like if the vision is achieved?
- What will be written on social media and the papers?
While crafting the vision statement, it is important to dream big and write down the main goals the business wants to achieve. It is important to have BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals); it is no use setting goals you know you can easily achieve.
Lastly, you must combine everything from the previous steps to formulate a clear and concise statement you can easily communicate and explain.
Once done, your vision statement needs to be tested. Consider the following:
- Are you willing to sacrifice something to make it happen?
- Is it resilient, inclusive and service-orientated?
While developing a vision statement your employees buy into may not be a quick and easy task, its value is priceless. It also does not end here.
Implementing a vision in your business required effort.
In my career, I have seen many good visions fail, not because they were not well-defined or well-thought-through. They failed because they are designed to change the status quo, and people do not like to change, it also requires focussed effort and dedication. All the time and effort spent developing and formulating the vision is wasted if the whole company does not buy in and live the new vision.
Living the new vision requires effort to communicate, listen, experiment, measure, fail, rework and learn. It also requires resilience, trust and the belief that it is possible. Change never comes easy, and to make it happen, focus and attention are required, accompanied by a consistent drum beat.
If you want to learn more about developing or implementing your personal or business vision, contact me, and let’s discuss it over coffee.
Sources consulted:
The following list of websites was consulted when preparing for this article.
- https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vision
- https://www.brandingbusiness.com/insights/what-comes-first-vision-or-mission/
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/vision-strategy-and-tactics-2275051
- https://www.cornerstonedynamics.com/3-big-benefits-of-a-clear-vision-statement/
- https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/3882-vision-statement.html