Why Most Visions Don't Work
What You Can Do to Make Your Vision A Reality
The word vision seems to be reverberating throughout the business and self-help world constantly this year. Vision boards. Vision summits. Vision statements. Vision vision vision. It can be a little much. And unfortunately, when a word is overused, it begins to lose it’s meaning, becoming watered-down and less potent with each article you ingest.
When everyone has a vision, how can you find your own? And when visions seem to be malleable and fluid, changing constantly, what’s the point of creating one in your organization?
Valid questions. Let’s discuss.
The truth is: most visions don't work.
Organizations use the buzzword, schedule a mandatory company-wide meeting and hand out new guidelines everyone is now expected to follow. It’s like throwing a fresh coat of paint on an old wall to cover up the cracks -- the foundation’s still weak underneath. This type of vision will always fail to create action or real change. Most employees just grin and bear it, biding their time until a new “vision” shows up they’re expected to fall in line with.
The problem is, most organizations and leaders skip the first crucial steps of creating a company-wide vision. They skip straight to implementation and call it a day, then scratch their heads a few months later when nothing’s changed.
What’s missing is clear communication. Unfortunately, this is something that humans can be, well, let’s say not great at most of the time. It takes work and lots of practice to become a skilled communicator. It also takes a lot of failed attempts, admitting when you’re wrong, and learning to be humble as you become better at defining and communicating your vision over many years. Yes, years -- we’re not talking about “life hacks” here -- this is real, deep life work.
This comical illustration from Arcfly communicates a powerful truth: People understand less than we say, and much less than our true feelings on any subject.
And so we must be patient, slow down, and connect to our core values in order to create lasting change.
I’ve created a helpful matrix I’d like to share that illustrates what happens when managers rush into vision implementation before they’ve done the work needed to become a true leader, able to create lasting organizational change.
So often, qualified employees are promoted into management without the skills to lead their team and are unfortunately given NO training in order to bridge this gap. Yet, leaders can still emerge, if, like you, they do the hard work of becoming internally focused, gain communication skills and work towards the good of their organization.
The trick is to “create a common purpose among the entire team, [so] employees are much more inclined to get onboard” (Keith Kitani, CNBC). Of course, this is much more difficult than it appears, “To get individuals to pay attention, you must reach them within the context of the work and tools they're already using. It must be embedded within their day-to-day work experience. Otherwise, they'll just ignore it because their time or attention spans simply can't afford any more bandwidth. By communicating within the context of work, the information is more relevant, timely and more likely to make an impression” (Kitani, CNBC).
Ok I’m with you Harjot. But if most visions don’t work...what should I be doing?
Connect to your Core
In order to create a compelling vision, it cannot merely be a slightly tweaked version of what other organizations are doing. Do not fall prey to the fads of the moment and, in your impatience to enact change, attempt to implement a watered down version quickly in your own organization. No no. This will not work. As outlined in the matrix, a vision without core lacks motivation and alignment. It may strike some teammates as exciting and begin with a bang, but it is ultimately destined to fail.
For a vision to be compelling, it must come authentically from you. It must be cultivated carefully over months and years of growing self-awareness, attention to the problems in your organization, and your own passions and beliefs as to what your organization can accomplish.
Most organizations want to do what’s widely considered to be “best business practices” and look to others to see what they should be doing. This is a mistake. Instead, look inside yourself to discover what’s best for your organization. A strong core is a key element to successful leadership.
Communicate Clearly
It’s all too cliche and yet all too true to say “start at the beginning”. What I mean is this, don’t rush to implement your vision too quickly. Focus on communication of your vision to your team or organization well before unrolling any changes. This may take longer than you think -- weeks or months, perhaps even longer.
When online shoe retailer Zappo’s began crafting their company’s values, it took over a year. CEO Tony Hsieh remarks he “was surprised the process took so long, but we wanted to make sure not to rush through the process because whatever core values we eventually came up with, we wanted to be ones that we could truly embrace.” The company also made sure to create core values they would be willing to implement, even when it meant sacrifice. Hsieh continues, “Our philosophy at Zappos is that we’re willing to make short-term sacrifices (including lost revenue or profits) if we believe that the long-term benefits are worth it. Protecting the company culture and sticking to core values is a long-term benefit” (Harvard Business Review).
Do not be discouraged with how long it may take to do something well, because communication is crucial to successful implementation of your vision. If your team doesn’t understand why things are changing or why it’s important, many will subconsciously dismiss your vision when it comes time to implement. From the same article as above, Keith Kitani agrees, saying that “effective communication is foundational to any successful change, and implementing the right approach and structure positions your organization to be more agile, proactive and ready to come out on top of whatever challenge or opportunity comes your way” (Kitani, CNBC).
Communication is critical.
Remember that you have been placed in your current leadership role for a reason. Trust your instincts. Listen carefully. Create your vision. Communicate your vision clearly and often. And ultimately, implement your vision in a way that will create lasting and positive change for your organization.
Are you ready to create a vision that will last?
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