Leading with vision

Introduction

The capacity to visualise the future of your business and develop a strategy to get there is known as vision. Vision-inspired leaders are better equipped to energise, involve, and unite their workforce. They know what is needed to maintain their competitive edge, have a shared sense of direction, and can overcome any hurdles that threaten the business’ survival.

What is a shared vision?

A team’s purpose is defined by its shared vision, which also offers its members purpose and direction in their work. The highest performing and most satisfied employees take a “we” perspective, viewing themselves as part of the organisation, as opposed to merely viewing themselves as individual workers. They know what is needed to maintain their competitive edge, have a shared sense of direction, and can overcome any hurdles that threaten the business’ survival.

Why is a shared vision important to business success?

A shared vision provides leaders with a tool for making decisions and creating a company road map. A vision statement of one or two sentences might be enough to convey your vision. However, an overall vision statement that is future-focused, ambitious, directional, particular to your firm, brief, and easy to comprehend as you explore ideas is much more effective.

You do not want a vision statement that is specific to one project or marketing initiative; the vision should be broad enough to apply to everything your company does throughout its existence.

Find out what your goals are for the business or what success looks like.

How to create a vision statement

Having a clear vision helps your organisation articulate how it achieves its goals and objectives. To get there, start by defining what success looks like. Ask yourself and key stakeholders: What do you want to accomplish, both personally and for your business? To keep it simple, define success as achieving your goals, not achieving a specific financial milestone or beating a competitor.

By using language that resonates with them, you can aid your team in comprehending and concentrating on the vision. Vision statements must be:

1 Future-focused

It must be clear from your vision statements how your company fits into the larger world. Your vision statement shouldn’t be a one-liner; rather, it should be a sincere declaration that sums up the course your company will take over the next few years.

2 Audacious

What your business intends to accomplish over the next two to three years needs to be crystal clear in its vision statements. Audacious vision statements must include your customers and your company’s value proposition; they cannot be restricted to the company or industry. Being audacious does not require being the best. It implies that you aren’t the worst. There is no need to be hesitant about moving forwards because that is what the point is.

3 Directional

Your company’s direction must be made clear in your vision statements. Which destination do you seek? Is that heading in the right direction? Are your core competencies in that direction? Your company must follow your vision statement rather than the other way around.

4 Specific

Detailed and actionable vision statements are prefered. Make sure to give extra thought to how you want to be known and understood as you create your vision statement. Clearly expressing how you can benefit your clients and potential clients will help you stand out from the competition.

5 Short and simple

The most crucial requirement for a vision statement is that it be clear and precise and simple to understand. A wordy vision statement is useless. Focus your efforts on communicating your vision in as few words as possible.

The key takeaways

The capacity to visualise the future of your business and develop a strategy to get there is known as vision. A team’s purpose is defined by its shared vision, which also offers its members purpose and direction in their work. A shared vision provides leaders with a tool for making decisions and creating a company road map. A vision statement of one or two sentences might convey your vision.

Find out what your goals are for the business or what success looks like by asking yourself or important stakeholders what your dreams are for the company or what success looks like. As you brainstorm ideas, craft a final vision statement that’s future-focused, audacious, directional, specific to your business, and short and simple to understand.