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A Compass for Your Vision

Written by: Dave Ferguson

Article Overview: What's your companies vision?

A Compass for Your Vision

Can a Business See The Future Through the Present, Without a Compass?

At the end of the signature line of every email I send is this simple phrase, "Vision adds Value!" I put that there for a few reasons. One reason is a personal belief that we need to have our own "personal" vision to get up every morning and contribute to this great world we live in. The main reason its there is that I spend a lot of time working on Vision with our clients. Why? For one reason, it's the compass for your company. It's what the company sees as possible for customers, potential customers, the community, and beyond. Secondly, very few companies have taken the time to develop their vision. The few companies that have do quite well. Just look at Microsoft. There vision is simply to, "have a computer in every office and home running Microsoft software". I think that vision has served them pretty well, don't you?

We help create equally compelling and motivating visions for our clients. Though the companies we work with are smaller in size than the Microsoft's of the world, their visions are equally as important and compelling. The vision creation process is one we both enjoy tremendously and urge all our clients to move forward with. We enjoy seeing leadership embrace its employees in the process, as well as the teamwork it takes from all involved to get to the final result. No business and no company is too small for a vision!

One of my favorite leadership experts, John C. Maxwell, is noted for saying, "If your vision doesn't cost you something it's a daydream. As an owner, CEO, or managing principal of a company, while you are ultimately responsible for the company's direction, you cannot build a vision on your own. We highly recommend that you solicit assistance in creating the compass for your company and it may cost you something (I'm not talking money either). It is prudent to include several people in the process, such as, employees, customers, suppliers, business coaches, and others. Done properly, you will go deeper with this group then you have ever gone with any of them before. Some companies even have retreats just to create their vision. Often there will be disagreements, arguments, hurt feelings, and people ready to throw in the towel, during what can be a long and tiresome process. In the end, your vision will need to inspire, motivate, and cement your team, so it just can't be quickly thrown up on a board and voted on. When completed, your team, lead by you, will be ready to take that vision to heart and deliver it to your customers. Often, I facilitate these sessions and while they can take several days, the results can be extremely rewarding, for all involved. We have seen the value a compass can truly add to a company competing in and for business. In the end, all your hard work will be worth it!

I have spent quite a bit of time developing our vision and it was created with our customers and you in mind. Our Vision is "to develop an organization that helps people discover and fulfill both their business and personal dreams, by using our real-life successes and failures, to guide and mentor them forever!" That truly sums up what we do each and every day in our business. We would love to hear yours or assist you in creating one.

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Article Tags: belief that, ceo, compass, email, final result, john c maxwell, leadership experts, microsoft, microsoft software, nbsp, personal belief, personal vision, phrase, signature line, teamwork, vision creation, visions



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