Development of the vision of your organization

When I was CEO, I was regularly asked by several leaders how they could develop a vision for their organization. This question always stumped me, partly because for some reason I usually seemed to have more ideas than I could keep up with.

Eventually I realized that everyone is wired differently and some people have the gift of developing new horizons, even wild schemes, and others don’t. People who “don’t” are, however, gifted in other ways essential to organizational development, including the ability to take visions and make them come true.

So if you are more of a “doer” than a “dreamer,” but are in a leadership position, how do you develop a vision for your organization?

I heard seminar facilitators answer this question with what sounded like a recipe for a mystical experience. But I don’t think developing a vision is as ethereal as some think. You can be as practical as you want, and you can still identify a strong vision for the future of your organization.

Here are some sources and resources to help you develop a vision for your organization:

Investigate challenges and opportunities through SWOT. “Know thyself,” said the ancient Greeks. Contemplate your navel. Discover the future of your organization in your own data. Identify your organization’s strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and use this knowledge to create a different tomorrow.

Address first things first. Every organization can be better than itself. Create better basics and save the frills and sizzle for later. Emphasize what is possible, practical. Find ways to articulate an idealized future step by step. Go for Bronze before going for Silver or Gold.

Tap into the CEO’s personal passion. Touch the CEO’s gifts, heart, and deepest desires. I once pitched a half million dollar athletic proposition to a gentleman. He took me by surprise when he said, “What is your passion?” I thought for a moment and said “Leadership”. He said, “Then I’ll write that check for a leadership program,” and he did. People inside and outside of an organization respond to leaders who believe in something that matters. Information, yes, but emotion is also key to crafting a vision.

Leverage talent from staff, board members, clients, or constituents. Who knows your organization and its possibilities better than the people who are already engaged? Don’t be the CEO unable to listen or accept advice. You don’t have to feel alone in leadership. As a leader, his greatest joy and perhaps his greatest impact on the organization will come when he celebrates the ideas of his own people.

Identify what leading organizations are doing and improve them. Not every worthy vision needs to be “new.” It could just be “improved”. How different, really, is one comprehensive university from another? Bit. If you don’t believe me, check out their ads on New Year’s Day. In this scenario, your vision is more about Excellence that difference.

Determine what does not exist and invent it. Creativity is always in fashion. Bold ideas are always fresh, they may not ultimately work out; only time will tell, but they are still fresh.

Take a risk. It’s okay to be different, to plunge into the unknown, to lead when others are not yet following. Yes, it’s okay to boldly go where no one has gone before. Risk aversion is not a good leadership trait. You don’t want to be reckless or irresponsible, but you also don’t want to miss out on an opportunity for fear of failure.

Develop distinctive, possibly unique attributes. This is a bit different than developing what doesn’t exist. It is about polishing the characteristics of your organization to create a niche in the market. At a level of excellence, what can your organization do that is different from what all other competitive organizations could do? It is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. The difference may be about nuances. What is distinctive can be related to quality, craftsmanship, appearance, service. The potential is infinite.

Identify customer/component needs. First, stop doing what is no longer viable, no matter how long your organization has been doing it. Second, start doing what is in demand. It is basic free enterprise economics. Fill the needs of the clients/members and they will fill the coffers of your organization.

If you run a nonprofit, identify what the top donors want to do with the top dollars. There is nothing wrong, per se, with following the money. One way the market tests the value of an idea is how much support it gets. Short of ethical shortcuts, take ownership of what the top available donors want to achieve and build your vision around it.

Rediscover the vision of the Founders. Sometimes a new vision is an old vision dusted off and recycled. The beauty of this approach when it fits is that the Founders’ visions can return with immediate public understanding, credibility, and perhaps prestige. The organization has been rocked by storms in the marketplace and is now adjusting its course to ensure it reaches its original destination. Founders’ visions don’t always stand the test of time, but when they do, they’re a great way to reinvigorate an organization with a “new” vision for a brighter future.

Reposition the organization. Maybe your organization has what the old commercial used to call “tired blood.” He’s been doing the same ‘ol, same ‘ol for a long time and it’s lost its dynamism. Perhaps the organization has an image problem, a public perception of the organization that is convoluted at best or just plain wrong or unhealthy. You need to send a message that a new wind is blowing. Change things up, discard old practices and set new goals.

Move. Taking an organization to another location is not always appropriate or practical. But sometimes it is. A well-planned new direction can change the entire image of an organization and open new doors to growth and success.

If you’re the CEO, you don’t have to be the all-knowing source of all good ideas. You don’t have to envision your organization’s vision to be a good leader. To be a good leader, you need to be open to the best ideas, no matter the source, and create a process where the cream rises to the top. Then you can implement those ideas.

So how do you develop a vision? Look around.