Ameen Ahsan: Shared Vision & Partnership Businesses

Most partnerships are formed with a simple idea, to make profits. It's so simple, that it attracts two or more people to get started fast. There is the energy and focus to achieve that profit target. This is the case, with most small business, and surprisingly in some big businesses as well.

As The Business Grows...

But as the business grows, and the profit target is achieved, things begin to change. What to do with the extra profits for which they had not planned? Do they withdraw it fully? Do they re-invest it? If re-investing, re-investing into what?

The reinvestment is a big topic. It can range from reinvesting to improving the existing facility to expanding into new markets, opening new branches, diversifying into new product lines or new verticals! The list can go on.

Since at the start of the partnership, this direction was not discussed, now if both partners have a divergent thought, this can become a serious problem.

A Problem That Can Kill A Successful Business!

Yes, a successful business can just die out if the partners can't agree on it future.

But how is that possible? Well, the success of a business, is in the quality of the business decisions that its leaders take for its future. If the leadership thinks only short term, the business will suffer in the long term. If the leaders are not able to agree on important strategic matters, the business will not be doing anything for the future. This is when the business will fail, as it is unprepared to face the changing trends.

So What Should Partners Do Now!

Simple! They should sit together a draft a vision plan, which is a shared one. Yes! A Shared Vision.

So what is a Vision? Vision is a collection of vision statement, mission milestones and core values. It's a package.

• Vision Statement: Is putting into words, why this business exists, beyond making money. A genuine beautiful vision, makes the employees and customers love the business. Even, the sons and daughters of the partners will have an affection for the business. But as I mentioned, it has to be "Genuine" and "Beautiful". How to make a vision "genuine" and "beautiful", is a different topic, which we can cover in a different post!
• Mission Milestones: Vision is a long dream, but it will remain a dream, if the path to reach there is not defined. This is where we have to break it down to smaller mission milestones (ranging 3-5 years), and charting what needs to be achieved to be on track. This is very important part, without it, Vision statement has no value.
• Core Values: Should you achieve the mission milestones at any cost, with any compromise? or should you have some core values that you will not cross, in your race to achieve the milestones. This is where Core Values come to play. Depending in your business and the values of the cofounders, these values can be different to different businesses. This has to be carefully designed. As this is not a joke, nor fancy statements hung on the walls of your corporate office. These are values that will help create a positive organisation culture inside your organisation. And the organisation's culture is true "Brand Image" resulting in "Brand Value". If the written core values is broken or not followed, then the organisation will fall into a toxic culture, and the business will fail. It is only a matter of time.

What is Shared Vision?

Vision in the head of the entrepreneur has no value, as long as it is not accepted by the other partners and even the managers and key employees (the people who have to realise the vision). This is a common problem faced in businesses (partnerships, companies or even sole proprietary). The vision is either not communicated. Or if its communicated, its one sided, there is no buy-in from the rest of the team. It is imposed on others, and hence neglected by everyone.

So that is where, this Vision, has be developed as a group activity. Vision statements, milestones and core values that are developed as a team, is called as the Share Vision. This can be done in several ways, including "sprints".

Conducting Shared Vision as a workshop is essential, but not easy. As people come from diverse view points, there may not be seemingly any common grounds, emotions / egos will come to play, managers or employees will be reluctant to talk when the partners have different ideas from theirs. That is why, it is ideal to let an expert handle the Vision Workshop or Vision Sprint.

Ameen Ahsan is an expert in handling simple as well as complicated Shared Vision Workshops or Sprints.

Do We Really Need A Shared Vision?

Actually You Do! Let me list few reasons,

1. Shared Vision helps in taking right long term and short term impact decisions. This helps the business to stay competitive in the market. Do you wish your business to fail in the market and among competitors, because the partners were not able to take important decisions?
2. Shared Vision brings clarity to managers and key employees, as to why certain important decisions are taken. This helps them perform better, as they know, its real purpose. Or the other hand, they will not have full faith in certain decisions of the partners/ owners, and this can have negative results.
3. Shared Vision means Shared Commitment. When managers and key employees are part of the mission milestone development, they are committed to delivering the plans that they themselves have helped create. This makes them accountable.
4. Shared Vision means preparing for the future by allocating financial, non-financial and other resources for the future. Without it, there will be no motivation to do so!
5. Shared Vision means a "happening company", as the vision gets implemented, as everyone involved works towards it. This will motivate the second generation to join the business, it will also motivate the employees to stay with the company, as they see career growth opportunities
6. Shared Vision is about preparing for the future by understanding the upcoming trends. This helps in adapting to the market changes in the right way

The list can go on!

To sum up, a business that has plans to stay long in the market, should have a Shared Vision. If they dont, then the chances of long term survival is less.

How does Ameen Ahsan, help in development of Shared Vision for your Business?

Shared Vision is essential. No doubt about it.

But developing a shared vision with the partners / directors, senior managers and key employees is not an easy task. No doubt about it, as well.

Because, there will be egos, biases, inferiority / superiority complexes that can hinder the smooth management of the Shared Vision Workshop.

This is where Ameen Ahsan Muhiyidin can help the process happen. Ameen Ahsan will run the process as a Sprint, involving all the participants. He has the skills, experience and knowledge to handle bottlenecks and defuse problems created by egos and biases. He has experience doing it as a physical workshop and as online workshops (for clients outside UAE).

Take The Positive Action!

Time is money in business. It is important to take certain actions without delay. Among them is the need to have a shared vision.

If your partnership firm or company needs a share vision, to ensure its continuity and success, the first step would be to a have a conversation with Ameen Ahsan. He can be approached at [email protected]

Also it is recommended to visit his website ameenahsan.com

And listen to his podcasts / videos to more about him at https://www.youtube.com/@ElevateYourBusinesses