Have you ever been part of a team that had talented people on it, but did not seem to go anywhere? If so, it is very possible that the team lacked vision for what it was trying to accomplish. It has been said, “Great vision precedes great achievement.”
In the workplace employees need a vision of what the business is trying to achieve in order for them to know what their purpose is for being there.
If the business does not have a vision for what it is doing and where it is going the team will just be surviving, treading water, and not really moving forward. If you are the business owner or manager and you do not know what the vision is for the business then how can you expect your employees to perform with confidence? No one knows what direction they are headed or for what purpose.
Many times I have heard from small business owners or their management personnel that their employees do not perform to their satisfaction. Their biggest complaint is that their employees do not seem to see what tasks need to be done and then they fail to take initiative to take action to complete the tasks.
But they (the management) have never taken the time to give them (the staff) any real direction, they just expect their staff to know and do it (maybe if they had a crystal ball it would be easier).
I am always surprised when I hear this complaint. Do they really expect employees to know what they want them to take initiative to do if they do not know what the vision is that the company is trying to achieve if it has never been clearly defined to them.
If the business owner is not a good visionary, they need to have leadership staff that are so that they can carry out the task of instilling this vision to the rest of the employees.
Once the vision for the business has been set then the leader(s) need to do just that “lead.” The leader is responsible for keeping the vision in front of the team, to encourage and inform them on how everyone is progressing toward the common goal.
The company’s vision needs to be compelling, one that all employees can catch on to and are willing to work for. Everyone on the team needs to be able to see the strengths, convictions and purpose of the vision. Visions that get people excited enough to work for are the ones that have these three ingredients; (1). Integrity, (2). Values, (3). Passion.
These are things that come from within and are the ingredients that fuel the fire to make the vision happen. As one of the wisest men to ever live, “King Solomon” of ancient Israel said, “Where there is no vision, the people will perish.” Visions are what bond teams together.
Do you know what your work’s vision is? Is it clear? Is it one that motivates you to strive to reach?
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