Ways to Create a Shared Vision by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC
Ways to Create a Shared Vision by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC
As I shared in my blog last week, I experienced what it was like to work on a team that had a shared vision for the project and it although things didn’t always go exactly as planned, the synergy was incredible. 
I often connect senior executives to connect them to a facilitator that can support them in creating a vision for their company. Having a vision/mission/values statement is one thing and living it is quite another. Publishing your vision and hanging it in the lobby, on your company website or on various promotional items will help bring awareness, but that alone is not enough. How does it get integrated into the culture?
They key is in how the vision is shared with management and employees by the leaders of your organization.
Studies show that how the vision is shared by the leader makes a huge difference in how it is adopted.
I have included a few tips on the qualities needed to powerfully communicate your vision:
- It needs to be CLEAR – it needs to be spoken in everyday language that people easily understand. It needs to be simple and easy to remember. Think of NIKE-Just Do It. When someone says “Just Do It” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? That’s clarity.
- The leader needs to be INSPIRED when they deliver the vision. Everything must be congruent, body language, words, facial expression, tone and level of enthusiasm will go a long way to inspire and excite the management and employees. An inspired leader can be infectious.
- WALK the TALK. It is critical the leader lives the vision if they want other to follow their lead. Leaders who are authentically connected to the vision and walk the talk have much more success than those who do not.
- INCLUSIVITY is very important. The language a leader uses will help to unify the team to the vision. Words like “we, our, us” are needed in all communication
- There needs to be an element of CHALLENGE. Like anything else we do, when there is an element of challenge it can lead to a more exciting and collaborative journey. When a leader passionately speaks about the vision and shares how the team can work together to move through challenges, will also lead to inspired action.
- Actions need to be SPECIFIC. Having a vision statement itself is not enough. Leaders need to identify specific actions and behaviours that will integrate the vision into day to day activities. Jeffery Pfeffer and Robert Sutton, in their Harvard Business Review article called “The Knowing Doing Gap,” suggest that organizations use the act of creating and discussing mission/vision statements as one of the most common substitutes for actually taking action. The trick is to create a solid vision statement that is easily translatable by everyone in the organization into actions on their day-to-day job.