My team had experienced significant change and growth. I realized that the speed of change within our organization was demanding that we focus on keeping up with projects while neglecting strategic planning and development.
While this approach was productive in the short-term, I knew that it was not sustainable. So I began assessing ways to clarify priorities and unify the team around common goals and objectives.
Not enough
Hard work is not enough. Productivity is not enough. Every team needs vision!
Michael Hyatt has a great podcast that details the relationship between vision and productivity. Just as you do, I know that many organizations have detailed core values, mission statements, and vision statements. And most growing organizations review and communicate them regularly.
Our organization has them, too! But the organizational vision could not clarify what our team members belong to, what we will build, and what we will become. And we needed that – we needed a team vision.
While our team was aware of company and institutional vision statements, they had never considered a department vision or a vision for their individual positions. I also knew thatthe vision would fail if I developed it and presented it to them to adopt. I needed to give the team the opportunity to decide if they were ready to develop a vision to take our work to the next level.
Vision process
So I worked together with Building Champions executive coach Raymond Gleason, to develop the following process:
1. We setup a team meeting to discuss vision. Although I invested time and energy in planning for the meeting and assumed that they would decide to move forward, I was determined not to move forward without them. We would proceed together, or we would wait – together.
So we scheduled several hours away from the office at a local community clubhouse – a relaxing setting which facilitated great collaborative discussion of vision.
2. Prior to the meeting I circulated the Harvard Business Review article, Building Your Company’s Vision, by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras. I also developed a simple worksheet to help my team think through the article. I asked each team member to review the article and complete the worksheet prior to the meeting and to be prepared to discuss business vision.
3. In the meeting, we reviewed the article and worksheet – focusing on the four components of vision – core convictions, core purpose, goals, and vivid description.
4. We reviewed the organization’s Core Values, Mission, and Vision. This is particularly helpful for younger, inexperienced team members as well as new members who may not have seen them.
5. I then asked them, Does it make sense for our team to have a vision? Every one of them expressed that a team vision would add significant value to our work. Several admitted that they didn’t understand the steps necessary to develop it, but they believed it to be critical if we are to continue to grow.
Several team members readily observed that, while the organizational vision was bold and effective, it was not specific enough for our team. We needed to develop our own.
6. The next step was to set up a vision development meeting. The vision development meeting should be a minimum of a half-day meeting – a full day is better. In this meeting the group works together through the eBook, Creating Your Business Vision, and drafts the vision. You can get a FREE copy of this by clicking here.
7. Following the meeting, our team leaders finalized the vision document and distributed it to the team.
8. Then, most importantly, we’ve been sharing the vision every chance we get!
I can tell you from experience that your work, your team, your influence, your leadership, your energy, will ever be the same! Because of this one purposeful decision.
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