LEADERSHIP: “WHERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH” proverbs 29:18

VISION: the corporate north star

In this faster paced era, plans and goals alone are of little value—because they lack the power to change.  Inspirational-leadership is required to overcome employee resistance.  In the face of turbulence and uncertainty, organizations must redirect their long term focus from the business plan to a corporate vision.  Changes in plans experience less resistance when a corporate vision exists.

In workshops, I have found it useful to break the process of creating a corporate vision into two parts:

1.     Statement of Purpose:  an emotional catalyst that serves as the corporate north star
(sometimes called a tag line: example Nike’s “JUST DO IT”)

Great acts throughout history come from men and women with a powerful dream and the capacity to recruit others into the cause.   Focusing and communicating a compelling vision is an essential success factor in the shift age.  

Conversely, 100% of history’s great civilizations, crumbled once their original dream was cast aside.  Without purpose (VISION), every form of human enterprise, (businesses, governments, families, communities, and nations) will become  a tired bureaucracy struggling for its own existence. 

 2.     Vision of the Preferred Future: a mental picture that people can paint themselves into

What we get is what we can see—and what we see is influenced by what we believe.  Growing evidence shows that our expectations (mental pictures)  for the next golf shot, business week, family outing,  or coming year,  predisposes us to make them a reality .  The largest single determinant of how we behave today is our conscious or below conscious expectation of what the future holds in store for us. 

Pictures of the future exist at the personal, unit, and corporate level.  When they are negative or uncertain, fear, resistance, and poor performance is assured.  Rallying people around a compelling vision of the preferred future provides a solid foundation for exceptional performance.

   Goals                                       Vision

*short term                              *long term
*need to accomplish                 *need to move towards
*measured by results                *measured by morale
*discipline                               *inspire