The First Step in Building a Sustainable Performance Framework – the Vision
First, your leadership must establish a vision for your organization… the vision must be compelling!
“The very essence of leadership is you have to have a vision. It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet” -Father Theodore Hesburgh, the former President of Notre Dame University
May you be the king of your dreams!
Growing up, my mother often took me to the library, and I learned to love books, one of which was Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are”. Later, my mom reflected upon the name I gave the main creature, a “ca-go-fo-gator”. This name was derived from its animal features: a cat, goat, fox, and alligator. She thought this analogy depicted what we might create in our lives if we weren’t paying attention, and I am thinking, also in our organizations. To be King of our Dreams, we need to recognize our vision, and make sure we have an inspiring and clearly communicated vision statement!
Remember the dialogue from Alice and Wonderland? “Would you tell me which way I ought to go from here?” she asked. That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”, was the reply. “I don’t much care where”, she said. “Then, it doesn’t matter where you go”!
You may want Increased Revenue, Lowered Costs, More Customers, New Systems, Upgraded Equipment….. But, can you make a Vision statement that is exciting? One that makes you and those around you want to get up in the morning?
Consider these famous vision statements: (1) NASA – We Land Men on the Men! (2) Reebok – Beat Nike! (3) Nike – Crush Adidas! (3) Coke – The Real Thing! (4) Ford – Democratize the Automobile. Other vision statements include: (1) Wal-Mart – Saving People Money to Help Them Live Better, (2) Stanford University – Become the Harvard of the West, (3) Kraft Food – Helping People Around the World Eat & Live Better, (4) Office Depot – Delivering Winning Solutions That Inspire Worklife, (5) Kaye Kendrick Enterprises, LLC – Helping Others Realize their Dreams, too!
A vision statement should invoke a mental image that inspires and energizes, that is not ashamed to impart passion. A vision statement is most effective if short, simple, and memorable. It should be unique to you, not a statement that could be substituted in another organization. It should be in the present but provide a destination.
As a leader, it is your job to get other people on the bus with you! Where is your bus going? Is telling people where the bus is going enough? It’s an annual trip....shouldn’t they know? But, each year the trip is different…always a strange new place, always in a hurry, and it’s not always fun!
Do you and your people know exactly where you are going? Are there gaps to close? Once your vision statement is created, it must be communicated. It must be “lived” every day, harnessing the will, commitment, and emotion of people!
Great leaders find a balance between getting results and how they get them. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that results are all there is to the job. They go after results without building a team or without building an organization that has the capacity to change. Your real job is to get results and do it in a way that makes your organization a great place to work – a place where people enjoy coming to work, instead of just taking orders and hitting this month’s numbers.”
-Andy Pearson, former CEO of PepsiCo
