Leadership - The vision - preparing
The vision - preparing
Motivation - selling
We have spoken about creating the vision and communicating the vision. What we then need is for others to share the vision.
For people to do this and work towards it they must be motivated.
Without motivation [see The Complete Motivation package] the vision will falter and ultimately fail.
In general the vision will be created in one of two ways.
- One person generates it
- Group generation
In the first case the task is then to communicate it to others and sell it.
In the second you are looking for agreement from all in the group.
Clearly, the second method is likely to gain wider acceptance earlier.
Group method
- Identify key individuals that you wish to have on the vision creating team.
- Arrange a suitable venue with plenty of time that will allow the creative thoughts to prosper.
- Explain what will happen.
- Split your group in to teams of no more than three.
- Provide all the necessary tools to produce their team visions. This is likely to be pens, flip charts, magazines and scissors etc. The aim is to try to create a visual image and use the right side of the brain skills.
- Give each team time to generate their vision.
- Each group then presents and explains their vision.
- The other groups should question the vision in order to clarify the situation. There should be no criticism and all comments will be recorded verbatim as for a typical Brain Storm.
- Have a summary discussion to find common threads, secondary comments and overall views.
- Distil the visions to 3 to 5 key goals.
- Each of these will then need a thorough discussion to ascertain what they will actually mean for the future.
Try to visualise these goals both from an internal perspective and an external one in terms of, for example, customers and other third parties.
If you go it alone to generate the vision you will carrying out the above by yourself instead of with teams.
Using the mission statement
We have already said that the ‘mission statement’ is independent of time and defines the core values of the organisation.
The vision is time bound and will need changing in the future.
This variation basically asks where will the organisation have to be in the future in order to achieve the mission statement.
For example.
- What needs to happen to achieve the mission statement?
- Who will it involve?
- What is the time frame?
- What would others be thinking if we achieve it?
- How will you be feeling if it is achieved?
There are many others you can derive yourself with a view to challenging the mission statement.
- Consider what values you as a team would want to see in place and how this would translate into behaviours to achieve it.
Having recorded all of the comments it is a matter of transforming the information into a ‘story’ that links the present with the past and the future. People want to see how the vision will be achieved over time and a description of this sort is a good way to do it.
The aim is to provide a canvass to express the group’s (or your) sight of the future which others will be able to see equally well.
Check that others really understand what it really means.
A point in time
Another approach is to suggest a given point in the future but not too far.
For example, 1, 2, 3 or 5 years.
You can then question the group about.
- What they feel they will be doing then?
- What will the department look like?
- Where will technology and the organisation be?
- What do you want to be doing in the future.
These questions, and others, should be asked as open questions. Those not giving a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response.
Try to delve as deeply as possible.
Again, produce a story of the vision compiled from a summary of all the comments.
Use phrases that begin with ‘describe’ or ‘tell me’ to get more flesh on the bones of a comment.
Communication methods
There are many ways that you can try to convince people with your vision method.
You could use.
- Words.
- Pictures. Static and video.
- Practical examples.
- Comparison using metaphors.
The mechanism for getting the message to people is many and varied in this computer age.
Computer technology has opened up the possibility of professional presentations by anyone.
- PowerPoint presentations are very visual and can include many features like sound and video clips.
- Books. Electronic version like a PDF format.
- Articles.
- Briefings
- Newsletters.
- Focus groups.
- E-mails. These can be used also to deliver copies of the vision based on many of these mechanisms.
- Intranet. Local communication.
- Internet. Wider or international communication. Words or video clips.
- CD roms
- Mobile phone communication.
Other techniques.
- Go and visit a site where the vision is already running.
- Use people who have already experienced the vision.
- Construct a prototype or model that reflects the vision.
- Training camps where you have workshops and simulations.
Make sure you draw up a plan to sell your vision.