Organizations, great organizations,
begin with a leader. These are individuals who are compelled by a unique vision
to attain greatness. At least, this is what we hope when we look into joining a
new team. The problem with this is that many leaders trip themselves up in the
formulation of their visions. It is easy for anyone to have an idea, they come
naturally to us. But how many of our ideas have enough foresight in them to be
sustainable, and be the types of ideas that individuals can rally behind, and
infrastructures can be built around? Once we ask those three questions, the
number of ideas that can be classified as compelling visions seems to decrease
sharply.
A vision is not an idea that drops
out of the sky one day. It is an idea that is hewn and crafted through time,
research, and passion. Innovation distinguishes Apple from its counterparts in
its industry, correct? Innovation distinguished Steve Jobs from his
contemporaries as well. Innovation in turn distinguishes great visions from
average visions. A great leader has a great vision, and that great vision
inspires the individuals within the company, and culminates in a great company.
In the context of Apple, we rarely saw the hours upon hours that went into the
formulation of the vision that brought us the second coming of Apple: the iPod/iPhone/iPad series. But it goes without
saying that it was something that was sustainable, an idea people could rally
around, and infrastructures could be built around it, because here we are
almost ten years later, and Apple is the benchmark we all strive to. Again, it
started with vision.
Vision was defined by a mentor of
mine in college as “beginning with the end in mind”. Ask yourself when you
build your vision, “what and who do we want to be?” Never forget that vision
casting is inclusive. It’s not just what and who you want to be, but what and
who you believe others will want to
be. Your vision can attract great talent to you, or be the reason great talent
spurns you for a competitor. Always have a team of advisors close to you that
can either rally behind and validate your vision, or show you the gaps to help
you form a stronger one.
Remember,
it’s not so much about being right the first time as it is getting it right in
the fullness of time. If the vision you expect to be the guiding force
for your company is haphazardly put together, expect that you will never
preserve the integrity of it, because it will be easy to deviate from it to
overcome the obstacles of the present day. Vision needs to be an idea and
belief that can and will withstand the test of time.
Vision is the beginning of an
organization because it creates the pyramid of priorities. From vision, you can
build mission. From mission, you can set goals. From goals, you can set
objectives. Further, with vision in place, you have the foundation of your
recruiting strategy, and the structure of your organization. Whenever I talk to
candidates about our company, I make sure to talk about our vision. They should
know who we want to be, because if they’re coming along for the ride with us,
we don’t want to have to make pit stops to let people off along the way. The
right people will believe in your vision, and you should select your candidates
with your vision in mind. Those are the people that will not leave because they
believe in the trail you have blazed, regardless if things are going well or
not.
Vision can be your game changer. It
can be what makes you like everyone else, or what makes you the pinnacle of
your industry. It can be the beacon of hope your team clings to in its darkest hour
or the scapegoat for why your company is falling apart. Be deliberate and
intentional in crafting your vision. Below is a quote from an interview with
none other than Steve Jobs on Apple and when he came back in the late 1990’s
which perfectly sums up the power of vision: “Apple was about 90 days from
going bankrupt. It was much worse than I thought back then. I expected all the
good people had left, but I found many of them still there, and I asked them,
‘Why are you still here?’ They said it was because they believed in Apple”.
Stay inspired, be developed, be the
change!
~AI
