"To make a contribution to the world by making tools for the mind that advance humankind." Apple
A vision statement is a bold and compelling statement, inspiring the organization, building aspirations and expectations within its stakeholders.
Vision is a ‘portrait of possibility’, it provides a compelling raison d’être, creates enthusiasm in an often boring organizational journey. Vision is the source of oracle, an interesting repository of imaginative stories and dreams.
Without a compelling vision, the strategy looks shorn of soul; strategy looks plain, drab, mundane & boring. A space exploration to find water on moon is merely a scientific experiment unless it is backed by the vision of colonization of space by men, of Star Wars, of building a human civilization in the most distant of stars.
A vision statement has to be a well told story, a story that is unique, provides vivid imagery and provides motivation for the employees. And yet the vision also has to be an interpreter of organizational culture and value systems. Great products are based on great consumer insights, great visions must carry a similar insights about the company, its leaders and its workforce.
Vision is not a hallucination. While it will be great if it has the magic of ‘Alice in Wonderland’, it can’t be just that. Vision also has to have actionable steps and encapsulate ‘a call to action’.
Compare it to 30 second advertisement on TV. Vision is like that. It needs to tell a story, engage and yet it needs to sell a plan as well. And akin to making of a great commercial, the vision statement requires a fair degree of eloquence, brevity & imagination. Like all great ideas, a compelling vision should seem obvious or very simple in hindsight. Google’s vision of "organizing the world’s information" seems incredibly simple and obvious.
In nutshell an inspiring vision statement should answer the following questions well
- Does it tell an inspiring story – unique story providing vivid imagery (different from competitors) , provide a sense of direction & looks deep into the future, inspires and focuses on excellence
- Is it authentic and does it strike a chord with the stakeholders esp. employees- motivates the employees , is rooted in organizational culture, subscribes with the values of the firm and is tangible to the market environment.
- Does it have a call for action-provides a useful preamble to mission statements & strategy, aids decision making, guide the aspirations of the organization .
- Is it concrete, measurable and attainable -provides a point of reference to measure progress and evaluate programs and services as they contribute to reaching the vision . If the vision is to build the fastest boat, all decisions can be evaluated on whether they will add to speed
Comments