Create a Repeatable Compelling Vision

Leadership is about inspiring people and lifting them up – not tiring people and putting them to sleep.

If you're running an organization of any size, make sure it has a repeatable compelling vision and sense of purpose.

If possible you should have a clear and concise singular vision. You want to get to a point that nearly every activity the organization tackles is linked toward supporting that compelling vision. Make it memorable and repeatable so that every message, action and strategy you engage in supports the purpose with an obvious connection.

Word and promote the vision in a way that others can understand, support, be excited by, grow some passion around, and be inventive in discovering numerous ways to achieve it. 

Too often people spend too much time and energy trying to create a literary masterpiece instead of a clear, easy to follow and understand vision. It’s a terrible waste of resources.

Does your organization have a repeatable compelling vision and sense of purpose? (If it does, what is it?)

Does it excite you or anyone else?

Vision Helps You See Clearly

If you're like most folks you spent the last few weeks in a reflective and hopefully celebratory mode. Now that you’re out of the holiday haze, give some thought to next December.

What do you want it to look like? What will be different? What will remain the same? What will you intentionally get rid of? What might you find before the end of the year?

Having a vision of the future gives you direction. When you can create a compelling picture of a desired place it’s easier to marshal the resources needed to get there.

Leaders without vision are follower-less.
Artists without vision don’t create, they replicate.
Entrepreneurs without vision have no idea.

Make the time to visualize the end of the year. If you can’t visualize it - you can’t have it. Be as vivid as possible. What will it take for this to be a standout year for you?

“How” doesn’t have a place setting yet. Right now it’s just you and “what”. What do you want to have, be do or become over the next 50 weeks or so? Start with your vision - only then will you see clearly.

Achievers Tip:
Before you embark on any endeavor ask for a picture of success. If it’s not clear, how will you know if you’re on the right track or not? And when you’re the one providing the vision, make sure it’s clear to everyone. Your description of where you want to go should tantalize all the senses.

Vision + Passion + Action

Vision + Passion + Action = Exceptional Performance 

With your goal firmly set in your mind, use this matrix to see where you fit in. Make adjustments if needed and then advance confidently in the direction of your dreams.

Categories

• Vision: 
Can you vividly imagine the outcome of your goal?

• Passion: 
Can you feel a burning desire to complete your goal?

• Action: 
Do you execute your plans and accomplish what you set out to do?

Results

• Daydreamers
have passion and vision, but lack action.

• Workaholics
have tremendous action and passion, but no vision.

• The Mediocre have vision and action but no passion.

• Exceptional Performers
have the inspired combination of vision, passion and action.

Determine if you're running at optimal performance in each category. Focus on your strengths and fill in your gaps.

How Did You Get To Be So Awesome?

Having a vision of success is only part of the equation of achievement; unfortunately it’s where too many people stop.  They can see what they want so clearly that it hurts.  Yearnings are fine because they move us forward.  It’s a different story if the vision we set for ourselves leads to feelings of regret or depression because we’ve not achieved them fast enough.

Some wonder what they’re doing wrong, and why things never seem to work out for them.  As a result, despondent people give up on their vision.  What they should be doing is asking better questions.  Keep your vision.  I’d argue, the wilder the better.

If you created your own vision then you know deep within you’re able to achieve it.  Today, assume you already have and then figure out how you did it by asking “Forward Reflective Questions” like, “Why am I so successful?”  “How did I earn so much money?”  or “Where did I find this wonderful person?”  As with your goal setting, be as specific as you can in your reflection.

Do you think if you ask questions like these you’re lying to yourself?  You might not FEEL successful yet, so how could you ask such a question?  It’s easy.  Because like Michelangelo’s David, the person you want to be is already in there, you just need to get rid of the things that aren’t serving you anymore.  The baggage that someone else unloaded on you and you’ve been carrying all these months or years.

Our mind is a powerful solution-seeking machine.  It likes to find answers.  So if you question why you’re a failure, you’ll get answers and you won’t like them.  It’s better to question why you are a success in whatever you choose to pursue.  The answers to those questions may also surprise you and they will unlock a way of thinking that will bring you closer to your vision with greater speed.