Why Communicating a Vision is Important

I am in the midst of a project with a large manufacturing company and they are really struggling with the performance of their overall plant output. Right now there is a lot if finger pointing, blaming and "every man for himself" behavior coming from the executive team. We asked the president "What is it that you really want for your company? How do you see the organization functioning a year from now?" There was a long pause. "That's a good question." was his reply.





After much discussion with the president and his senior team we discovered the major issue keeping them from reaching their goals is that no one really knows where they are going and why they are going there! Every department head has a different idea of what is important and a different understanding of why their department exists.



Think of it this way: the department heads are all part of a flash mob and each one of them have a different dance routine. When the mucis plays and the dance begins everyone is starting on a different foot and moving in different directions. The result is chaos!!!!


Here are some tips for communicating vision:


Communicate it often and well- Never under estimate how many time you need to tell people what the future is going to look like. It can never be said too many times. Use a variety of mediums to spread the message and keep it visible all the time.

Be very clear and keep it simple- Employ the principle "less is more" when describing the future. Make it brief but vivid. Use powerful words that are descriptive and can not be misunderstood. Use present tense language, word the vision as though it has already been accomplished.

Be Consistent- Be diligent that the vision doesn't change from day to day, unless there really has been a change. Vision should be the same today, tomorrow, next week and until we arrive. People can be easily confused about their contribution when the vision sounds different each time they hear it.

Use other leaders to help communicate the vision- Every member of the leadership team must know, understand and be able to articulate the vision to others. There is strength in numbers. Alignment at the top insures understanding at the bottom. Get the entire executive team involved with communicating the vision to the masses.


Communicate even small wins- Always share the progress, no matter how small, with the entire organization. Celebrating success is the best way to encourage and motivate a team. Be a cheerleader to the team, lavish them with praise.


Even if you are not the president of your organization, if you want to move a group of people in a given direction to achieve a given goal you have to communicate a vision.