How Do You Know if Your Vision Needs a Makeover?

Oct 30, 2014

It’s the end of October. You’re probably knee-deep in preparing for 2015 strategic planning.

You’ve set expectations. The planning team is ready to engage.

But first, take a pregnant pause. Before jumping into strategic priorities, organizational goals and assigning ownership and accountability, is it time to dust off your vision statement? Does it need a makeover?

Consider the greats. Here are a few real-world vision statements that have helped shape our world:

“We will provide extraordinary motorcycles and customer experiences.” – Harley-Davidson.

“Fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality.” – Hilton Worldwide.

“We help consumers, athletes and artists, partners and employees fulfill their true potential and reach heights they may have thought un-reachable.” – Reebok.

How does your vision statement compare? A vision statement paints a picture of an ideal future state. Think 5 to 10 years out. Does it paint a picture of the mountain top you see yourself and your organization standing on? A vision statement isn’t a slam dunk. It isn’t guaranteed. It’s a vision.

How do you know it’s time to dust off your organization’s current vision statement and create a new one? Here are a few indicators, which might tell you it’s time:

  • It’s been achieved. Seriously, if it’s been achieved it’s time to paint another picture.
  • It doesn’t inspire. Vision statements need to invoke inspiration.
  • It isn’t memorable. There’s a red flag if no one remembers it.

A great vision statement consists of the following elements. Your vision statement may or may not incorporate all of these elements, but keep them in mind when creating yours:

  • Futurecasting: Provides a picture of what your organization will look like in the future.
  • Audacious: Represents a dream beyond what you think is possible. It represents the mountaintop you strive to reach. Visioning takes you out beyond your present reality.
  • Motivating: Clarifies the direction for where you need to move to and keeps everyone pushing forward to reach it.
  • Purpose-Driven: Worded to give your staff a larger sense of purpose—so they see themselves as “building a cathedral” rather than “laying stones.”
  • Capitalizes on Core Competencies: Builds on your organization’s core competencies. It builds on what you have already established—history, customer/constituent base, strengths, and unique capabilities, resources and assets.

Forming a strategic vision should provide long-term direction and infuse your organization with a sense of purposeful action. Think of it like the North Star. It’s your distant focal point.

StrategyCheck: Is it time to dust off your organization’s vision statement?

For a deep dive on Vision Statements, check out our post on all things vision.

One Comment

  1. Stephen McPeek says:

    Very helpful!

Comments

*

What is 2 + 2 ?
Please leave these two fields as-is:
All fields are required.

Join 60,000 other leaders engaged in transforming their organizations.

Subscribe to get the latest agile strategy best practices, free guides, case studies, and videos in your inbox every week.

Keystone bright-path authority-partners iowa caa maw maryland mc kissimmee dot washoe gulf reno