What's Your Vision?
If you’ve known me for even a short time, you may have seen one of my “titles” as “Visionary Speaker.” I didn’t choose the word “vision” on a whim, but rather with an intention I’d like to share with you.
Vision for our businesses involves achievable, specific goals, initiating action and participation from others. Your mission, the purpose or reason for your business, differs from your vision, which is where you aspire to be. By envisioning your next goal, your next milestone, you continue the momentum toward where you see your business in the future. The vision for your business – and my business – requires we clearly establish the necessary steps to get us there.
"If you don't know where you're going, then you'll end up somewhere else." – Yogi Berra
A vision without action, then, simply stays in Today. We need to keep our strength of character, energy, and necessary knowledge to carry our vision along the path to success. It takes more than words to form and carry out your vision in today’s marketplace, and merely emphasizing the vision isn’t enough to motivate us or our teams. We need to provide clear-cut directions, instructions, and encouragement along the way.
Our vision requires discipline and focus. Creativity. And a little bit of dreaming. I’m serous about the dreaming – we need to think with our hearts and not our heads to form a vision that’s compelling and exciting enough to show the big picture, rather than simply solving a few of the challenges you’re currently facing in your business. What’s more, doing away with any fear in a vision leads to real change rather than endlessly putting out fires.
Finally, and most importantly, our vision should tie directly to our core values. We’re all under the pressure to respond to changes, grow, and innovate; but who we are and how we define ourselves by our values keeps us grounded to continue the charge toward our vision. I encourage you to set an appointment with yourself every month or so to check in on your vision and make sure it still aligns with your core values, logical parameters of your business’ operations, and milestones for growth. Adjust where necessary and keep moving forward.
I live the vision for my business every day, and I’m excited for you to do the same. Let’s Win and Win Big together.
Brian.