Vision - Clearly stated and Empowering

"When the road ahead is unclear, vision can take you only so far." Loren Gary

A vision provides a clear picture of a better future. it offers trust, faith, and hope for everyone in the organization. it becomes a guide for an organization to move from past beliefs, activities, and goals to a future path more suited to the changing needs of the organization and the demands of the economic environment.

A vision should be:

simple and idealistic. It should appeal to core values of the organization.

challenging but realistic. It's fine for the vision to have lofty language--you want it to be large enough to touch people;s core needs for achievement, recognition, and a sense of belonging. But the lofty language has to be easily translated into a realistic competitive strategy. The goals can be aggressive, but they must also be achievable.

focused. It should serve as a guide in decision making

beneficial for the organizations stakeholders--customers, stockholders, and employees. It should clearly define the benefits to these various constituencies.

easy to explain and understand. Even if implementing the vision is a complicated process, explaining it should be simple. People won't support what they can't understand.

ACTION POINT: Consider the simplicity, ideals, challenges, focus, benefits and clarity of your vision.