The Absolute Necessity Of A Vision

A Vision answers the question: Where are we going?

Why does it matter that an organization has a vision statement? After all, a lot of vision statements don’t feel very effective, they sound nice, look impressive on a wall or a website but they don’t feel like they actually help the organization do anything.

I think in part, we have a tendency to think of organizations as sedentary institutions. We talk about when an organization was ‘established’ and ‘founded’, how they are ‘pillars in the community’. Words and phrase that express a state or history rather than a trajectory.

But all organizations are made up of people, and people are never established or sedentary. We’re always changing, developing, going somewhere, doing something, progressing or digressing. And because organizations are made up of people our organizations are always changing, developing, going somewhere and doing something.

Because of this fact all organizations have a vision, most just don’t have it articulated or thought out. Every organization is headed somewhere, whether or not that somewhere is a good place or a bad place is a different question. Even if their unarticulated vision is to stay the same and not experience any change, that is a vision. A bad one. But still a vision none the less.

Why does a Vision matter?

Imagine planning a vacation out west, with no other details to guide you. No specific cities or landmarks you were planning on visiting and no specific dates you were planning on being out there. Would your vacation ever happen?

How much more so for an organization? An organization without a vision is much like planning a vacation without any of the essential details.

Without an articulated vision an organization is susceptible to adopting other people's visions. There will always be strong voices in any group of people and without a vision to rally around a team will create or adopt their own. And you might not like what they create or adopt. In fact, it just might kill your organization.

What causes workplace strife? One thing that does is when the non articulated vision of an individual or group of employees do not align well with the non articulated vision of leadership.

What criteria makes a good vision statement?

Its about one thing.

A vision that has more than one goal will split your efforts between those goals. The more commas the more goals. Commas (and ands) are not your friend.

The adoption of one thing means you have to reject everything else. Rejecting a direction doesn't mean you don't find that thing important or necessary, but it does mean it doesn't get articulated verbally in your vision for the sake of what's more important.

It’s measurable.

It needs to use numbers and dates, without measurable goals how can you know whether or not you attained your intended goal?

Remember a trip out west without dates and places is just a dream that will never happen.

It’s a 5-10 years thing.

It’s looking long term rather than short term. This is a trajectory that every short term goal in your organization should fit nicely under.

It’s a moonshot.

It’s not something you can easily accomplish. It’s attainable but it will require every person to stretch themselves to make it happen. If you don't strive toward something beyond your current reach you will never have the opportunity to truly surpass your own expectations. Even a failed attempt at a moonshot goal will get your further than a failed attempt at a completely reasonable and mediocre goal.

Summary

Without an articulated vision statement every organization is susceptible to being tossed to and fro by the winds of changing culture around them and within them and the whims of individual influence. A good articulated vision gives a clear and precis trajectory that every individual can measure their performance and goals against.