A key role of leaders in business is to create and get support for a compelling vision for the organisations or functions that they lead. Compared to many other roles that the leader undertakes, creating a vision is not the most complex of tasks. Yet in truth, many leaders and teams of leaders struggle when it comes to creating a compelling vision. Why is that and what can leaders do to build a winning vision?
Make time for visioning sessions
Your vision is in many ways what determines what your organisation achieves in terms of results, which in turn determines your own personal success as a leader. Yet in truth, many leaders and leadership teams spend little or no quality time in creating and building their vision. It is all too easy to get stuck in the here and now and forget about the longer term. Make a point of setting aside time on a regular basis to look at the vision and how it can be improved.
Aim high
Aiming high is not about being completely reckless. It is about stretching your self and others to achieve more. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of being comfortable. When we are comfortable, we can become complacent and complacency can lead to loss of position in the market or reduction in the quality of the customer service offered. By aiming high, you keep asking your self and others what else is possible.
Take a long term view
A challenging vision will take time to achieve. It will not be something that you achieve overnight. As a leader you might fall into the trap of being too concerned about your own future and as a result, you focus on a vision that gives short term gains for you personally. The best leaders who achieve sustained success know that it is essential to take a long term view of where the organisation is going to be 5, 10 or even 20 years from now.
Make it a rolling process
A vision is not something that is worked on once, created and then forgotten about. It needs to be an ongoing process, where the vision is revisited, adapted and improved. By making it a rolling process, organisation’s can respond much more quickly to changes in the market, new competitors and technological changes to name just a few.
Unlock creativity
Business vision should not be regarded as something that is highly structured. Creating big changes in performance and a successful future for the organisation, requires imagination, creativity, innovation and the ability to see beyond the current situation and obstacles. These big changes and sustained success will only be created if creativity is unlocked.
Bottom line- creating and building a winning vision might seem like a simple and straightforward process but the reality is rather different. What action do you need to take to start building a winning vision for your organisation or function?
Duncan Brodie of Goals and Achievements (G&A) works with individuals, teams and organisations to develop their management and leadership capability.
With 25 years business experience in a range of sectors, he understands first hand the real challenges of managing and leading in the demanding business world.
Sign up for his free e-course and newsletter at http://www.goalsandachievements.co.uk/resources.php
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