Develop a vision for your future
Where do you envision your business to be in a year? 5 Years? 10 Years?
Where do you envision your personal life to be in a year? 5 Years? 10 Years?
When I ask business owners these questions, I usually get them spewing a bunch of platitudes with no definitive answer on where they see their life and business in the future. They have no clear vision for their future.
Simple questions, but with hard answers.
One quality that all leaders have in common is that they have a clear and exciting vision for their future. This is something that only the leader can do. By leader, could mean the business owners. Parent, Guardian, Manager, etc.… Only the leader can think about the future and plan for the future each day. Think of it like this. If you are the captain of a ship, are you just floating around the ocean? Or, do you have a clear plan to go somewhere or do something? Pirates had a clear plan. Sail the seas, find other ships, steal everything they have, and move onto the next ship.
Excellent leaders take the time to think through and develop a clear picture of where they want the organization to be in one, three, and five years. Leaders can communicate this vision in such a way that others “buy-in” and eventually see the vision as belonging to them.
Set aside sometime over a weekend and put some thought into your vision. Write it down. Be as detailed as possible. Then write one simple statement that you can say to convey your vision to others. This will help you get crystal clear on your vision and stay on track to reach your goals.
Use your vision to motivate others. Your vision shows your future possibilities of what can be, and that arouses emotion and motivates you and others to give their best. The most powerful vision is always qualitative, aimed at and described in terms of values and mission rather than quantitative, described in terms of money. Of course, money is important, but the decision and commitment to “be the best in the business” is far more exciting.
A clear vision that is communicated properly can encourage others, instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best. It does require you to lead by example and stick to your vision.
A clear vision for your future can create great team players.
A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, especially the position of Chief Executive Officer. The study concluded that there were two important qualities required for great success in leadership. The first is the ability to put together a team and function as a good team player. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers’ output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility, and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.
Keep Your Cool
The second quality required for rapid promotion was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, and especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means practicing patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.
Everyone Is Watching
The character and quality of a leader are often demonstrated in these critical moments under fire when everyone is watching, observing, and privately taking notes. As Rudyard Kipling once said, “If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that’s in it”.
Your job as a leader is to have a clear vision of where you want to go and then to keep your cool when things go wrong, as they surely will.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, project forward 3-5 years and imagine your ideal future vision. What does it look like? What steps can you take immediately to begin turning your future vision into your current reality?
Second, resolve in advance that, no matter what happens, you will remain calm and cool. You will not become upset or angry. You will take a deep breath and focus on the solution rather than on the problem.
Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, steve@bizcoachsteve.com, or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.
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