Vision helps others to buy-in and creates true understanding (Vision Part 2 of 6)
Personally speaking, there is nothing worse than reaching for opportunities that don’t really exist or striving to work hard on strategies and concepts that have no real chance of ever being implemented. Nothing really happens when you don’t know where you are going. Actually a lot happens. The vision of other people happens to you.
Finding your real vision can be extremely easy or painfully difficult. The choice is yours. Creating your own vision gives you the gift of inspired change. This gift is a continuous source of motivation and encouragement. You never have to worry about where you should aim your career or personal life. You’ll understand without a doubt where you are going and why you believe you should get there. Your vision is at once an effort of destiny that has to be found and simultaneously an exercise of creation that emerges only with real focus and practice.
One of my favorite authors and training experts Stephen Covey says that you should begin everything you do with the end in mind. How often do you ask yourself “where am I going?” or “why am I going there?” Keeping the answers to these questions in front of you regularly and making the commitment to move in the direction of your highest goals and aspirations everyday. I promise, this will help to transform your life in a positive way. Think of yourself in the future. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be doing most often? Spend some scheduled time on this and don’t worry about possibilities or “so called” realistic thinking. Just let your mind roam free. Spend the next few days working on lists of ideas that support the answers to these questions and keep them in your journal or some sort of notebook for review.
Now turn your attention to the whys. Spend the next few days writing exhaustively about the reasons why you want to achieve these goals. Remember to only spend a small amount of time each day on this no matter how much you are tempted to do more. It’s important to pace yourself and not try to rush to the finish line. The whys will help you really explore your deepest feelings and heart felt values. You’ll need to stay in touch with these to implement any meaning strategy for self development and change later on.
Finally you are ready to actually begin the process of actually capturing your vision. I’ve seen people use various tools and techniques to capture and record this information. Some prefer to write vision statements while others prefer to use images in pictures or paintings. You may even find yourself wanting to use music or poetry to capture your vision. It’s important to remember that whatever medium you choose, it is essential that it be personally empowering and motivational. It should make you happy to reflect on your vision, maybe even give you a deep sense of spiritual satisfaction. If not your work is not done.
Relationships both for business and personal reasons can only bloom with vision. In order for people to find true synergy and really move relationships forward there must be a unified vision of where the relationship is going. Both people will find ways to compliment each other suggest meaningful ideas for growth and devise unique strategies that support the development of the relationship. In business we tend to be hesitant for no reason. If you really believe in the quality of your product or service why not show people what you are all about, not in a pushy salesman sort of way. Try having meaningful conversations that build connections between you and your prospects. Focus on who you really are and what you really mean. It will make all the difference when people can see the real you and grow to trust that person.
Institutions and major organizations totally revolve around vision. True leaders are responsible for providing and managing vision with conviction and consistency. There is nothing more special than when team mates truly understand in fact develop a passion around the organizations mission. Belief and trust runs high and people feel plugged in to success and productivity. Less bureaucracy and regulations are more the norm as trust runs high while quality service is delivered exceptionally with blinding speed and accuracy. The bonds created by a solid well thought and well communicated vision are incredible.
You can tell when vision is really working. There is a clarity that begins to define each moment. There’s no second guessing and people are able to give each other the benefit of the doubt in a big way. Mistakes are tolerated and rebounded from quickly. Organizations with real vision don’t have the time to play the blame game with team members. No one would even think about getting involved with petty politics or try to one up each other. There’s only constant innovation and creativity as everyone strives to make a relevant advances toward the ultimate vision. Everyone knows where the team is heading.
The absence of vision is simply the opposite. It’s like being lost, with no focus or direction. There is absolute confusion and chaos. People tend to create mounds of paperwork and reams of regulations to try and justify their very existence. Rationalized behavior takes the place of inspired movement while people seem to stumble around as if they have no real purpose, no real mission.
I’m really interested in your thoughts on this particular aspect of vision. Feel free to share any of your ideas or feedback in the comment section below.
Coach Powell has a blog!! I’m so excited! I will be reading!
Coach Powell,
It’s my sincere pleasure to be able to read your blog, and I cannot agree more with this particular section.
The absence of vision DOES stifle productivity as “people tend to create mounds of paperwork and reams of regulations to try and justify their very existence.” (THAT was well put sir!)
I look forward to more reading!
Joey
The title was a bit misleading for me but the content is very thought provoking! I like the “capture” the vision techniques. Doing a vision board is so worthwhile. I have found that flipping through pages of travel magazines or high end merchandise catalogs certainly got me dreaming!
On a totally different note, I love the comment “the vision of others happens to you”! How true. If you don’t have a road map, you get sent in many directions….the direction of others.
It has been proven, that the absence of vision, or blindness in infants causes delayed development. It would seem that as an individual looking to succeed, that the absence of vision would have the same results in an adult as an infant. The absence of vision would also mean the absence of passion and commitment, and the lack of faith in oneself. “Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.” Annoymous
I recently journaled for a couple of weeks about what I wanted, why I wanted it and how I would know if I actually was successful in achieving it. It was one of the most powerful exercises I’ve ever done. And I recommend it now to all who tell me they need greater clarity around defining their success.
When we, as leaders, are able to articulate our vision, others will follow us and do things to help us. Clarity is key.
I think these are good suggestions as a way to create the vision statement, but I have to say, that I think of vision as something we are uncovering, divulging, more than really creating. In my experience, your vision is really something that lives inside of you, and always has. It has always been there. For many – who have not revealed it – it is recognizable as your true, true, true nature. That part that you might even think people would laugh at, if they heard you talk about it aloud. It is the really really core stuff, that is so personal, we keep it locked deep, for to lose that would be to lose self. And then where would we be? So we hide it and share it with no one to keep it safe. Getting your vision out is hard only in that – if you really are being honest and hit it right – it feels like you just cut your heart out and handed it over to the world. Scary stuff to say the least. It takes courage. Of course, you must do this. This is how it grows, and comes to be, to keep t inside is to kill it. And it will have to feel scary, or you didn’t do it right, but stay there with it, and then you will see that clarity Coach Powell mentions kick in. Then the energy catches up with the grandness of the vision and it begins to come into form. Clarity brings resolve and questions answer themselves and the momentum that arises.
A Harvard study shows – just for fun – that those who set Big Hairy Audacious Goals (their words) – are the ones who enjoy success just about every time. Go big.
Unless someone is exactly where they want to be right now, they probably need to ask themselves “where am I going?” Without being specific enough with ourselves, how can we possibly bring our company, or our team or our family with us?! A clear vision gives us the ability to reach our destination and align ourselves and others on the journey.
As I was reading this 2nd blog on Vision it actually made me think deeper on my first response. Its amazing that I am reading thru this blog and I feel like the light switch has just been turned on. Like I said in my first response -I didn’t realize that defining a vision was the missing link to me feeling like something was truly missing…I have worked for big and small organizations and every one has a had a vision and a mission statement. I never really put any thought into it..I always treated it as just words..something that sounded nice..so.. I am planning on starting a new business.. NOW I truly understand why defining my Vision is so very important. If I don’t have a clear vision on where I am heading – no one else will follow or believe in me.
I have not tried the journaling technique but it sounds like a winner. This exercise brings to mind the exercises that were used to define Spiritual Gifts. There is a definitely link to creating a vision. Once you determine what you like to do, what you could do without coaxing or prodding, you can then determine how you plan your life around those things. As for buy-in, I think the opposite is also true. Those people that can’t seem to buy-in or don’t fit, you can jettison them effectively without hesitation!
I’m really looking forward to uncovering my vision. Laura Kowalski’s comments have really touched me. I am afraid of the process and I think she’s hit the nail on the head with her handing your heart over to the world statement. I’m excited to find the clarity that releasing my vision offers. I think my company and I will both bloom and I will feel truly purposeful with my vision in hand. I know it’s in there and I think the quiet reflection process Coach Powell has described will uncover it.
Marvin – you are so right when you say that without your own vision, you end up with the vision of others. Isn’t that what happens to many of us when we are children? If we’re not encouraged to find our own way and just adopt what we’re ‘told’ to do by our parents, we end up with their vision. I was always the good little girl who did what I was told. And in the end, I moved to the other side of the world to escape and begin the process of finding out who I truly am, deep down inside. Before I’m able to create my own vision, I need to know who I am, who is that person deep down inside, what do I want to do with my life, etc. Similar to what Laura was saying in her response – on a heart and soul level, deep inside of us, who are we, who would we want the world to see if we were ready to share our whole self.
In order to create the business relationships with others, both in your company and with your clients, you must have a relationship with yourself. You need to truly know who you are, what you want out of life, what you have to offer life, where you want to end up, etc.
I’m getting excited and energized just by considering the endless possibilities that are out there today! I’m off to start with my vision board….catch you on the next blog!
Wow – it looks like Laura’s comments hit deep for many of us. I am struggling with differentiating between the “dream” part and the “process” part of a vision statement. And trying to understand who, if anyone else would need to know my vision. My vision board has many personal pieces that I don’t expect a client to be interested in… or am I caught in the worry that my whys are not worthy and so keep my thoughts hidden so I cannot be hurt? More thinking & journaling in my future I see.
I agree that a vision statement is important–as long as it’s compelling and meaningful. In the business world, I have seen (and experienced)many organizations that had very cliched business visions-how they would help the customer, make profits, etc. Many of them are very bland and do not inspire the executives who created them, let alone the rest of the staff. For a vision to be effective, it needs to be compelling and meaningful to the people who will follow it.
For me personally, I don’t have a “vision statement”; however, I have my vision of who I want to be and what my life will be like in the future written down. I agree with Coach Powell that vision is individual and there are many tools to convey a vision. My husband and I are currently working on our “Dream Board”–basically pictures, phrases, and images that are meaningful to us and will inspire us every time we look at it. For us, this is more effective than having a statement.
Your post actually leads me to think of another benefit of setting a vision – it helps leaders to select the right people to be a part of their team. It is critical that your employees share your vision. They can’t be truly effective otherwise.
“Think of yourself in the future. What kind of person do you want to be? What do you want to be doing most often? Spend some scheduled time on this and don’t worry about possibilities or “so called” realistic thinking. Just let your mind roam free.”
Ouch. “Realistic” thinking has brought me to where I am now. I was raised with so-called “realistic” thinking. Limiting thinking, is what it really is. It has been so ingrained into me, that there is fear associated with thinking (or dreaming) outside the box. Can I really become wealthy? I don’t need to be hugely rich, but can I even be truly well-off? Can I do what it takes, re-arrange my DNA, and move into a new line of work that has great personal challenges and potentially greater financial rewards? This is one reason why I NEED a vision, and why it’s sometimes challenging for me to find and keep one.
I have seen how vision helps motivate and align people. The company I currently work for has always had a vision statement. In years past it was emphasized over and over, and it was obvious that the founders of the company lived and acted it. When the company was smaller, it was easy to be a part of this vision; but as the company doubled and tripled in size, I’ve seen how difficult it’s been to communicate this vision and align everyone with it. A strong vision that is communicated well is hugely powerful, and can pull people together.
I totally believe in the next step as well, finding our “whys”. A clear “why” makes any effort nearly effortless. It is motivation and a goal, and a belief. It makes one get up in the morning.
Having said all that, it’s all just words until I capture and clarify my personal vision. (What is a vision board, btw?) I also am a little concerned about “helping others to buy in” on my vision: Must my business vision be identical to my spouse’s? If not, will our visions fight each other or cancel each other out? What if mine isn’t as strong as his? Will I get left behind, or even hinder his vision? Am I over-thinking this?
Time to start my “˜vision’ journal.
Damn that #^@$ing work verification box.
My musing here were probably the most heartfelt of the entire series of blogs to date. But since I botched the damn word verification box thing, the whole piece is gone. (My inability to use illogical tech stuff is most frustrating and I have little tolerance for this!!!!!!!)
In a nutshell, I believe Laura was looking into my soul when she posted her thoughts.
For some reason, this section reminded me of the “Write your own obituary” exercise. Looking back at the blog one more time, this is not exactly what we are talking about, but I digress”¦
I began to think about what I would REALLY want to be remembered for when it’s all said and done. I was actually very surprised with the ideas that started to flow once I got past all the typical things I’d been programmed to think were “good” and “right”. This is what is most important to me?! Removing the censor and just free-writing was probably one of the most eye-opening and fun exercises I could have done. And I’m not even finished yet! Granted, much of what came to mind was not professionally oriented, but there are certain things that would have to be in place in order to achieve many of them, including financial independence. It’s easy for anyone to say “I want to be rich” but actually envisioning the lifestyle and the opportunities takes that dream to a whole new level, and that is what I’ve found to be most inspiring.
Back to the topic of the blog, helping others to buy-in and truly understand, knowing someone else’s vision teaches me so much more about someone than idle chit-chat ever would. In networking, how can I refer a client of mine to another company if I don’t have any idea what they stand for and where they are going? From this perspective, how can I expect, or even ask others for referrals or for new business if I am unable to communicate my vision to them?
I love Cheree’s idea of writing down not only my vision and goals, but also listing how I will KNOW I’ve achieved them. Having known people who were not able to recognize that they had achieved everything they dreamed of, I understand that one’s perspective changes over time. Being vague about certain things can sometimes lead to constantly chasing the dream and never catching it. Listing specific details about how I know when I’ve reached success can be a valuable tool for tracking my progress through the years of change. Not that my vision will always stay the same throughout the years, but knowing that it likely will change, at least some, is just more reason to keep track of how I’ll know when I get there.
Putting a meaningful vision on paper takes a lot of thought and insight. It is as though you are asking yourself, “Why am I here and where do I want to go.” There are many techniques a person can utilize to determine their vision. Whatever technique is selected, the end result should answer the questions above with such clarity that your employees will want to help be apart of this great journey.
The first paragraph really spoke to me. I agree if you don’t have your own plan for your vision you begin to take on the vision of others. Although I have a tendency to plan and often think I have my goals before me, I don’t have them written or formated in a “vision board”. This would really help to keep my goals before me and focused. Maybe then, everything will seem a bit more orderly and not just lists of goals and objectives.
To know where you are going, you have to find out why you are trying to head that way in the first place….or… is it the other way round???
So often a company (and an individual) claims to have a vision. Until that vision can become ‘live’ it is just words. What is needed is for everyone to make those words ‘come to life’ so that the vision has true meaning. In my mind that happens when we reach mutual self respect and belief in everyone around us, when we can truly work as a team so as to attain the vision not only a company has but the visions that those around have as well.
I love Susan’s comment about how if you don’t have a road map, you get sent in many directions…the direction of others.
I know that teamwork is paramount to implementing my vision. Getting others to buy-in is not always easy, but having been on enough winning (and losing) teams in my life gives me firsthand experience with how important it is to verbalize my points and understand the points of others.
I don’t have a problem with following the directions of others as long as I know that they can read the map…
It is important for a company to have a vision. Hopefully, each person is at the company she/he is at because their personal vision is similar to that of their company. Everyone needs to be on the same page so that the path to success does not lead to dead ends.
I need to work on my personal vision. I think SFG needs to define the vision for the company and the employees so we can all work together as a team toward the vision. Sometimes I think we are lacking in teamwork skills.
Prioritizing different visions in my life and focusing on realistic outcomes might be hard to share with others and is stressful to think about right now. For me, at work I feel that “rationalized behavior is taking the place of the inspired movement” and therefore we are all stumbling!
With a true vision in mind you have a passion to get there. That passion and enthusiasm can help with the buy-in to build teamwork.
The first section of this blog really hit the nail on the head for me: “Nothing really happens when you don’t know where you are going. Actually a lot happens. The vision of other people happens to you.” That last sentence may have been our largest road block. By not developing our own clear vision we have been stuck using a 20+ year old one. Time for an upgrade.
I was just discussing vision vs. goals with my company partner. I suppose goals are what we want to achieve, while vision is a little more encompassing. Perhaps the vision is what the whole picture looks like and what will be required to reach that goal – be it an office, central database, investor funding, increased staff and us training and managing them all. In that way, the vision would help us more easily identify the steps needed to reach the goals. Regardless, I completely agree that a vision is needed to articulately communicate your goals to others. Just saying you want to achieve $x revenue helps no one reach that goal.
I have had several lessons in the past 2 days on why. They all come down to filling my needs and wants or someone else’s when they are not win, win. I prefer filling my needs and wants. It is not always an easy thing to keep oneself in the middle of the picture, but it is much more fulfilling and fun.
Vision in action, the visionary is pregnant and gives birth. This allows those who are in a relationship with me both personal and professional see the true me. And with conviction, consistency, motivation, and encouragement I am able to inspire change because I clearly articulate and implement my vision, that’s power. If this, creating continuity and change is the reward from having a clearly defined vision than I am on board with the process to define clearly what my vision is for my business.
I am a true believer in a clear vision. When you have a dream and you think it can’t be real,once you start visualizing bits and pieces start to materialize and suddenly you are on a road with a clear map leading towards your dream. Yes you have bumps in the road, however if you work to overcome them and follow Covey’s theory start with the end result, your vision, you will get there. Marvin this segment is very powerful and great guide.
This was indeed an insightful blog to say the least. I really liked the part about the vision of others happening to you if you don’t have a vision of your own. I guess I never really looked at it that way before and I guess that’s what’s been happening to me all this time why I’d feel so lost and not know why or what moves to take next. I especially like the idea behind having a relationship building vision/goal so to speak from a business point of view just like you do with your personal relationships. What a cool and very practical way of looking at it. Its funny how we can do that for our personal relationships but not with our business relationships. That is definitely something I will be implementing from now on. I’m sure it will make a difference in the relationships I’ll have with my clients in a positive way. Thanks Coach Powell for shedding some light in this area for me!!
I enjoyed reading the passion and clarity in this article. These two parts especially caught my attention:
“Relationships both for business and personal reasons can only bloom with vision. In order for people to find true synergy and really move relationships forward there must be a unified vision of where the relationship is going.”
AND, the whole paragraph that begins with:
“You can tell when vision is really working. There is a clarity that begins to define each moment. …”
That’s exciting!