Ability to lead teams & Direct the vision of the organization

A vision statement summarizes the purpose of a business in one or two sentences and helps leaders and employees work toward a common goal. Team leaders?can not only embrace the company’s vision but also set a vision for teams. This vision gives a clear direction to your team so they know why they are doing what they do and how that fits within the larger corporate vision. Your leadership around this vision may also inspire your team to do their work not simply because it’s their job but because they believe in what they do.

How to create a vision for your team

Follow these steps to create a vision for your team:

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1. Involve your team. Your team is more likely to accept and embrace the vision if they are part of creating it.?
2. Schedule a meeting to discuss. When you schedule the meeting, make sure it is at least a few weeks in the future. This gives your team time to think about their purpose and come up with ideas before the discussion. An off-site location will minimize distractions and help everyone focus.
3. Bring in a facilitator. While you may be able to lead the discussion around vision and help the team produce a statement, you may prefer to bring in a third-party facilitator. Someone trained in leading these kinds of discussions might make your meeting more productive. This enables you to participate in the discussion as one of the team.
4. Keep the statement short. Your team vision statement should be brief and sum up the purpose of your team to make it memorable and inspirational. You don’t need a final polished version of the statement at the end of your meeting. At this stage, it is enough to have a draft statement containing the main ideas that the group agrees on. You, or someone you assign, can work on the exact wording later.
5. Be bold but realistic. A good vision statement should challenge your team to reach for a goal. However, that goal should be attainable and align with the company’s goals. It should relate to what your team does and push them to do it better.?
6. Make sure the whole team is committed to the vision. It’s important for each team member to feel the vision can help them succeed within the company. Invite any team members to contact you if they have questions or want to talk more about the statement.?
7. Use the statement. Once you have a final version of your team vision statement, use it. This might include team members using it in their email signatures or creating a poster of it to hang on the wall. Whenever your team name is included on stationary, business cards or other media, be sure the statement follows after it. When creating new team goals, make sure you consider your vision statement so each task has a purpose.?

Leadership vision statement examples

The following are some fictional examples of team vision statements to help you create your own:

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• "Reliable data from the best sources the way you need it."
• "Resolving issues promptly with accuracy and transparency."
• "Taking the best care of the company’s greatest asset: the employee."
• "The best technical solutions in the shortest time possible."
• "To support each other while making the world a better place."
• "Helping others realize their full potential by creating attainable goals."

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Further tips for leading with vision

Here are some tips to help you put leading with vision into practice:

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• Remind your team of the vision:?As the leader, it is important that you take every opportunity to remind your team of the vision. You can do this at the end of staff meetings, in emails and in other conversations with your team.?
• Lead by example:?One of the best ways to help your team understand how to put the vision into practice is to set an example for them to follow. You can put the team’s vision into practice in your hiring choices, the way you focus your meetings and your daily interactions with others.?
• Accountability:?Challenge your team to reach for the goals in your vision statement and hold one another accountable for your success.

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Team vision FAQs

These are some frequently asked questions about team vision.

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What is the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement?

A vision statement is aspirational. It speaks to the purpose of the team and what it aspires to be. A mission statement describes how your team fulfills that vision in terms of processes and daily activities.?

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What is the difference between a vision and a strategy?

While the team’s vision sets the goal of what they want to accomplish, the strategy describes how the team intends to reach that goal. If your team’s vision is to have positive interactions with every customer, a strategy could involve reducing wait times and producing quick resolutions.?

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Why is vision important for a leader?

There are a number of reasons why vision is important for you as a leader, including:

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• Direction: As the leader, your team looks to you to make sure they are all working toward the vision and staying on course.
• Inspiration: The way you talk about the team’s vision and incorporate it into everything you do can inspire your team to embrace the vision and work harder to achieve it.
• Purpose: The team vision helps you make sure that everything your team does is directed toward the same goal. By examining the purpose behind everything you and your team does, you can make sure every strategy and task contributes toward the team’s vision.