Moving beyond the vision statement into action
By Randy Chittum, Ph.D.
It is pretty common practice these days for organizations (and teams and even individuals) to have a vision statement. These statements are intended to paint a clear picture of the future. Whenever I see one I am reminded of the quote credited to Peter Drucker: “Strategic plans are worthless. Strategic planning is invaluable.” While I would not go so far as to say they are worthless, I would suggest that the process of creating a vision is equal to the outcome of having a vision statement.
I like to think of vision as something that is already inside us, whether that is the organization or individual. It is already there and simply needs to be nurtured and called forth. There is danger in looking outward for vision. It can lead us to common solutions that in turn minimize our uniqueness. How many times have you seen vision statements that were indistinguishable from the organization down the street? True vision is about that which matters most to us and for which we are willing to take a real leadership stance.
So how do you get from here to there? It can be helpful to have someone outside your group or team to facilitate these kinds of conversations. Someone who does not have a vested interest in what you create should be able to challenge and prod as needed. Not all facilitators will adopt the same approach of course but many will start with a set of visioning questions. They might resemble these that I sometimes use.
Questions to ask
Imagine your organization at some future point (three years is a common time frame). Further imagine that you are tremendously successful on all the things that matter most to you. Your organization is admired and others may seek to copy your strategy and approach. They may just wonder how you do it and admire you for it. Looking back from that future vantage point:
- What are we known for? What is our reputation?
- What do customers say about us and our products or services?
- Who are your other key stakeholders and what do they say?
- With whom are you allied?
- What differentiates us from our closest competitors?
- What products or services do we no longer provide or have said “no” to?
- What are we no longer afraid of?
There are many more, of course. Discussions of questions like these often lead to some obvious themes or patterns. These are the things that are emergent and can receive life from declaring them in vision. Once a vision is declared it becomes a very powerful tool for enrolling others. It is similarly powerful as a way of helping people to self-organize and to know how to decide and behave in otherwise unclear circumstances.