Three Keys to Achieving a Result: Part 1 - Vision

I have worked with some of the most impressive companies on successful (and unsuccessful) change and transformation initiatives. I am also a female business owner and entrepreneur who lives a rich personal and professional life. My professional and personal lives have officially collided, as I recently facilitated a master class and workshop on vision boarding for one of my corporate clients.

As I prepared to bridge the gap between achieving personal goals and creating change in an organization, I had an epiphany. Like any epiphany, it was simple, not super creative, maybe not all that original, but it resonated loudly within my entire being.

Here it is: If you want to achieve ANY goal or ANY result, professionally or personally, the following three things MUST be present and strong. Vision, Alignment, and Focus.

Vision

Personally - If you don’t have a vision, what are you aiming for? Why is this important? Can you describe what it feels like when it is achieved? Is there an image that accompanies success? Who is with you? Who helps you along the way? Is there a time of the year that is associated with success? The more detailed you can make that vision, the easier it is for your brain to recognize what it needs to pay attention to to help you reach your goal.

Organizationally – Many organizations I work with miss a few tricks when establishing a vision for their intended outcome. They land on a flat statement with either too few words or way too many words. However, having a vision statement does not necessarily mean there is a clear vision for the organization to get behind. Having a vision for whatever an organization wants to achieve means obsessively focusing on why, who, what, where, when, and how things will be when the goal or result is achieved. Why is this important? Why put effort towards this? How will you get there? Who will help? How will they have to behave? What is the payoff for each role and level in the organization? What will be different? What will be the same?

In each case, whether it is a personal or professional goal, having a clear vision primes the systems that do the work for you. When setting a personal goal, you engage your brain in making that goal a reality.  Your brain then does what it does to help you achieve that goal. In an organization, you are priming the systems that implement change – organizational culture, leadership, performance management, corporate communications, day-to-day operations, and much much more.

Homework: Just kidding – there is no homework. If you read this far, you must be my mom. But if you have read this far and you are wondering how to apply this – think of any successful result you’ve had or witnessed - personally or professionally and consider the strength of the vision. What do you observe to be true about the vision (or goal or result)?