As a business owner, defining the vision of your organization often comes pretty naturally. You probably have an innate understanding of the mark you want to make on your customers, your team, your community, and the industry. Then you leverage your vision to help you make decisions, foster culture, and develop your brand identity around those ideals. While increasingly expected in today’s business landscape, your desire to add purpose beyond profit is important and admirable. But while most business leaders can articulate their vision, many have a much harder time with consistent execution. It turns out that a hard part of business leadership is not defining your vision, but sticking to those values even when the chips are down. Vision is not just a catchphrase or a motivational poster on the wall; it is the touchstone that guides you through good times and bad. And it’s those bad times that are the tricky part.
The term vision is now such a standard in the lexicon of business leadership that its true definition is often lost. Vision is commonly misunderstood as a lofty, abstract ambition rather than a practical compass that provides clarity on direction and course.
At its core, vision refers to the clear and compelling picture of the future of your business that you persistently and actively pursue. It is founded on some baseline principles that are both easy and yet sometimes deceptively challenging to identify:
Many business leaders confuse the concepts of vision and mission. Essentially, vision is the destination that you want to aspire to and ultimately reach in the future, while mission refers more to what you do, how you do it, and who you serve in the here and now. Mission is more practical and tactical, while vision is more aspirational and directional, pointing you toward the future you are working toward. Saying it another way, vision is your long-term purpose and mission is the work you perform each day to achieve that vision. So while they are most definitely symbiotic concepts, vision and mission are not the same thing.
Make no mistake, identifying vision is a bigger undertaking than many business leaders realize. It requires a little soul searching and lots of thoughtful reflection. The following are some initial questions for you and your leadership team to consider as you embark on defining your company vision:
Defining your vision takes a little thoughtfulness on what matters most to you and the legacy of your business. It is not technically hard, but the work is most definitely challenging.
Even when well-defined, constantly striving to attain the vision of your business can be rife with obstacles. Common hurdles include balancing short-term pressures and urgencies with the long-term commitment to your vision. It can be incredibly tempting to ditch the values related to your vision in an emergency or breaking point. But by understanding that your vision is there to help counsel you on the right path forward, your business is much better equipped to overcome challenges in a way that Is congruent with your values.
Misalignment within your leadership team can have a negative impact on living and achieving your company vision. Lack of alignment creates confusion, non-conformity, and rogue execution. Decisions are made more slowly and mixed messages ripple down the food chain. Certainly, as the business owner, you are the top line in vision implementation, but members of your leadership team are key to enforcing and reinforcing that vision throughout the business. So make sure they are in alignment with your vision.
Shifts in the market or consumer preferences can spur knee-jerk reactions that are in opposition to your company vision. For instance, in response to short-term trends or disruptions, a business might cut corners or add new goods or services that do not align with its long-term values and vision. This is usually a big mistake. Even when business takes a sudden 180-degree turn (like it may have during the pandemic), your response really needs to remain aligned with your vision to ensure that short-term reactions are appropriate.
From a leadership perspective, it is important to leverage your vision in both the big and small decisions you make throughout your business. Spreading the word and gaining momentum on your vision starts with you, so make sure that you consistently communicate your “big why” to your teams.
Your company vision shouldn’t catch your employees by surprise, so introduce it before they are even on the payroll. Make your vision a central theme throughout the hiring process. Assess potential talent not just based on experience, but also values alignment. Other personnel decisions, like promotions and even firings, should take into consideration an individual’s commitment to the vision of your business.
Schedule check-ins to routinely reiterate and reinforce your company vision. This can take the form of one-on-ones, all-hands meetings, special events, newsletters, and other feedback loops. The key is to communicate your vision with consistency, clarity, and commitment.
Remember, your company vision isn’t just a statement or a slogan; it is the long-term standard by which you run and grow your organization. It is the barometer for the thousands of little decisions you make as a business leader, even when nobody is looking. It is the tone you set and model for your team. It is the scale by which you weigh opportunities and priorities. It is the never-ending litmus test for what deserves your attention and resources, and what doesn’t.
As your business grows, your industry shifts or your customers evolve, your company vision will act as both the anchor and the compass by which you choose to bob-and-weave or stay the course.
So keep that vision alive and it will continue to serve the best interests of your business today, tomorrow and for years to come.