The Power of Visionary Planning

Having a vision for your future does work!

About 20 years ago, I participated in a 12-month Women in Leadership course run by the organisation I was working with. In the very first session, we were asked to use the next month to think about and envision what we wanted to be in the future. The timeline we chose was up to us, and because of where I was in life at the time, I decided to pick when I was 80. It was 40 years into the future and seemed so long away, and I thought that if I thought big, I would have plenty of time to create the change I wanted in my life and achieve it. That vision for my future has been reached and will continue, so I have gone even bigger and decided to go after my new vision for the next 40 years!

When we can language something we can have it. If we cannot put the words around what we want, we cannot access it because we do not know what it is! A vision for your future, whether in life or business, is compelling. Many people think having a vision is fluffy stuff. Maybe those people are afraid to dream or think big. Perhaps they are worried they may not achieve their vision, fear failure, or even fear success! We cannot allow fear to hold us back from our dreams and our ability to think big, go big and achieve big. Fear is a constant, so do not let that be an excuse; as Stedman Graham says, "Having a vision for your life allows you to live out of hope, rather than out of your fears."

A vision for your future is a guiding light to what you want to achieve. When you apply it to business, it is the same. What do you want your business to be, to stand for? What is the legacy or the difference your business will make? These are big questions worth asking because being in business, whether your own or someone else's, needs to have more meaning than just making money. Yes, money is essential, and we need it to live the lifestyle we want for ourselves and our families. However, money is a goal, an outcome of your work.

Having a vision for your business is about being clear on what you want to achieve with the business, why it exists and why it is essential. The vision communicates a direction and destination for all involved in the business. The vision creates a sense of belonging to something bigger than themselves, giving meaning and purpose when living it daily. Even more importantly, the vision informs the goals that the business sets.

When we can articulate our vision for our business, it will inform the strategic goals, which in turn will inform the 12-month goals for business planning. Building strong planning habits is crucial for a business to be successful. Some people would disagree with this statement. It can be true that a business can achieve success without a plan. I have seen many businesses do this. However, there comes a stage in the success of that business where nothing else is being achieved because there are no goals or plans to take the business anywhere else. Success stalls or stagnates because there has been no vision for the future. If you want this for your business, rock forth and have fun! If you want more meaning, more success, whatever success means to you, then you need to have a vision that provides clarity and informs the long-term and short-term goals you want to develop for the next stage of growth. We are either green and growing or ripe and rotting, and we get to choose. As Simon Sinek puts it well, "Vision is a destination- a fixed point to which we focus all effort. Strategy is a route - an adaptable oath to get us where we want to go."

Here are three simple steps to develop your business's vision. It takes some time, so have a play:

Step 1 - Brainstorm achievements, ideas and hopes for the business.

You could do this with your team or someone supporting you, such as a friend, colleague, coach or mentor. Take time to brainstorm without judging or filtering ideas and words that come up and capture them all. It could take a few attempts to ensure it is right for you and the business - which is OK and normal.

Step 2 - Select the most meaningful words

Using all the words and phrases captured, envision what you truly want. There are two questions to help contemplate this. What would you most like to accomplish for yourself and others? What would bring more joy and happiness into your life?

Step 3 - Condense the words into one short phrase.

Your Vision is a statement summarising the main ideas and words you created and captures where you want to go, inspiring you to reach your goals. Vision statements must also have ambiguity in their expression to provide more scope to achieve, which is why your vision statement is not a goal. There is no right or wrong, good or bad; there is just what you want it to be. What could your business achieve if it became the best possible version of itself?

Creating a vision is an essential exercise for any business to complete. The purpose of creating a vision is to create a common direction, source of inspiration, and meaning for all on the team. For the vision to achieve this, it has to be lived and breathed within the business. Leaders who are committed to and focus on the vision daily will achieve the results they want through the vehicle of their plan. Because the vision informs the needs for goals, and goals require strategies in the form of planning to achieve them!

Book your Complimentary Strategy Session with a lead coach at Leaders Network if you would like support in deciding your Vision and Goals.