Vision uses the power of imagination to inspire the workforce to look outward toward what the company wants to be in the future. A vision provides a company with a purpose which the organization or team creates something of unquestionable value, serves customers in an unparalleled fashion, or reinvents the way it does business. In order for vision to be an effective leadership tool, it must accomplish two things simultaneously: 1) it must align your organization and 2) it must promote change. Here a few sample visions from the past:
- Sony (1950’s)”Become the company most known for changing the worldwide poor-quality image of Japanese products”
- Boeing (1950)”Become the dominant player in commercial aircraft and bring the world into the jet age”
- Ford Motor Company (early 1900’s)”Ford will democratize the automobile”
- John F. Kennedy (1963) “This nation should dedicate itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing man on the moon and returning safely to earth.”
What do these visions have in common? They are inspirational, transformational, revolutionary, ambitious, clear, bold and confident. They make you want to be part of the effort that will achieve the vision. How do they compare to your company’s vision?
While the CEO may be responsible for the overall vision, each leader within the organization needs to define a vision for their group that supports the main vision.
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“In order to make a fire burn, you fan live coals. In order to keep your organization fired up, it�s imperative that you find and motivate the leaders or potential leaders in your organization regardless of how far down the line they might be.” |
It takes leaders at all levels to craft a vision of new possibilities of the future for the company to become what it wants to be. When every leader is focused on how their department contributes to the overall vision, something exciting happens in an organization. The vision becomes the reality and every member of the company becomes engaged with a sense of accomplishment.
Does your organization have visionary leaders at all levels in the organization? Management Skills Resource, Inc. offers the workshop Work of Leaders©. Using the framework of Vision, Alignment, and Execution, Work of Leaders encourages leaders at all levels to understand their own leadership behaviors and how they impact their effectiveness. To discuss your training plans, contact us at info@ManagementSkillsInc.com or call 972 881-5282.