“Lacking a compelling sense of direction, few employees feel a compelling sense of responsibility for competitiveness. Most people won’t go that extra mile unless they know where they are heading.”
Hamel & Prahalad, Competing for the Future
I recently was having a conversation about business with one of my colleagues, and we were talking about setting a vision for his organization that is currently in turmoil. I was shocked when he said he didn’t think creating a “catchy” vision would do anything for his organization and that he was in fact, too busy handling more important things such as trying to simply meet customer demands and expectations. Obviously he didn’t understand the impact a vision or strategic intent can have on an organization and on individuals.
“Now,” I told him, “imagine if you asked employees at your company why he or she did what they did each day and they all responded with the same answer such as, to be number one in our industry, or to overtake our fiercest competitor, or to set the standard for customer service in our industry. Imagine if all staff members readily answered this question in the same way instantly without thought or hesitation. Imagine the improved teamwork, direction, inspiration, creativity, and morale boost your organization would have as everyone would be aligned and working towards a clear purpose and a common goal.”
“On the contrary,” I continued, “now imagine your current company where no vision is established and I ask employees why they do what they do. My guess is the answers would probably vary vastly from person to person and would probably include answers ranging from because it’s my job to my boss told me to or simply I don’t know. Now which group of employees do you think would be more motivated and inspired to do a good job, to work hard, to be creative, to reach goals, and to drive your company to where you want it to go? A vision is key to success in all walks of life.”
Unfortunately, my friend and I did not seem to see or understand the matter in the same way and his company continues to struggle without a vision or strategic intent. For this reason, “Creating a Vision” will be the topic of my blog for the next couple of days. As we create a vision, we will begin to achieve our goals.
Read Create a Vision, Achieve Your Goals Part 2 Read Create a Vision, Achieve Your Goals Part 3 Read Create a Vision, Achieve Your Goals Part 4 Read Create a Vision, Achieve Your Goals Part 5 Read Create a Vision, Achieve Your Goals Part 6
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