Vision – Being able to see.

What’s the point, why do you bother.

The thing about leading is that it is very hard to do well if you are not going anywhere, so where are you going, what is it you are trying to achieve and why is that is important to anyone?

A company starts for any number of reasons, all of which quickly take a back seat to making enough to pay the bills. This is when everything becomes real and the ideology behind getting started is put on the shelf for a while.

Richard Branson is on record saying that when he and his friends started the first Virgin business 40 odd years ago, they had no master plan – especially not one for a group of companies that by 2011 would number more than 400 around the world and employ 50,000 people. He goes on to say that in 1970, his friends and he weren't planning to do anything other than make some money and have a good time while doing something they loved. They loved listening to music, so they tried to sell records to other kids who wanted a fun place to hang out while deciding which ones to buy.

What he really wanted to do, was to sell records and his financial and operational goals came later, the point though is, he wanted a fun place to hang out for people who shared his passion, ask yourself if Virgin is known as a fun company to work in or deal with or a stuffy boring old conventional one?

Creating a Vision is a time consuming and somewhat lengthy process, Stephen Covey suggests in his book the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People that it should not take less than 6 months and often takes up to 2 years, so it is little wonder that most companies struggle to come up with it in a one-day workshop or in a restaurant over dinner.

Your Vision statement is the value you want your business to deliver, ?it’s why your business exists. It signals what your business is all about to your customers, employees, suppliers and the community. It will reflect how you set up every facet of your business, the range and nature of the products or services you offer, your pricing, quality, customer service, market position, your use of technology, and the kind of relationships you want with your customers, employees, suppliers, competitors and the community.

As with anything worthwhile, a Vision statement takes time and effort and it’s definitely worth it. In fact, most business owners I have worked with discover that the process of creating a Vision statement is as helpful as the final thing itself.

If you want to discuss your vision, get in touch.