Strategic planning is important for organizations of all sizes. Having a clear vision with supporting objectives, strategies, and metrics can provide much needed focus and clarity for an organization.
Most strategic planning efforts produce a vision statement to guide the strategies and actions of an organization. Since we facilitate strategic planning sessions, public pronouncements of vision statements are of great interest to read. Quite often, they are disappointing at best.
While visiting an area hospital, an eleven-sentence vision statement was prominently displayed on the lobby wall. How may of the hospital employees could recite an eleven-sentence vision statement? Probably not many, if any at all.
A vision needs to be short, simple, and impactful. One of the best historic examples is the vision of Henry Ford where he wanted to produce an automobile for the masses. At the time, cars were a luxury item for sport and display and seen as toys for the wealthy. Ford had a vision that would place an automobile in front of every house. This vision revolutionized his business and the entire auto industry as well as many other industries to follow. That simple vision of making cars more affordable would be in the thoughts and minds of all employees. Innovation flourished as the challenge (the vision) was put out there for others to embrace and support.
Can you recite your organization’s vision statement?
When we facilitate strategic planning sessions, we require team members to develop a vision statement that can be tattooed on their hands. Why? Because this approach challenges the group to simplify the vision statement so it can be easily embraced by all employees. Plus, a tattoo shows real commitment!
The right vision can transform an organization by aligning employees and their actions in a common direction. Great things can and should result from an effective vision statement.
“If you can dream it, you can do it”. ~Walt Disney
Photo by Jametlene Reskp on Unsplash
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