Why is a Compelling Vision so Important?

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“Don’t underestimate the power of your vision to change the world. Whether that world is your office, your community, an industry, or a global movement, you need to have a core belief that what you contribute can fundamentally change the paradigm or way of thinking about problems.” —Leroy Hood

By Elizabeth Stincelli, DM

 

Vision

Your vision provides you with a description of the future that fulfills a deep hope within you. It clarifies where you want to go on an individual, team, and organizational level. Defining your vision helps you determine what skills, knowledge, tools, technologies, and abilities you will need to get from here to there. Having a compelling vision is not negotiable; it impacts the motivation, energy, and inspiration of yourself, your team, and your organization. As a leader, why should you promote a compelling vision in your organization and how can you do it?

Motivation

Les Brown believes, “Wanting something is not enough. You must hunger for it. Your motivation must be absolutely compelling in order to overcome the obstacles that will invariably come your way.” When employees’ lack a clear vision of where they are going, they often feel unmotivated and uncommitted; they feel their time and talent are going to waste. This is the perfect recipe for everyone to start working on their own agenda, and that is the perfect storm for your organization to fail to achieve the vision you have set. In order to keep everyone motivated, you must create a compelling, shared vision of the future where everyone wins.

Energy

Oprah Winfrey feels that, “Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” When your employees have a clear and compelling vision, it unleashes the energy within them that will move them towards that vision. Help them to see what winning will look like and then link your vision to that picture. Tap into shared attitude, core values, and beliefs for the energy to keep moving forward and doing whatever it take to achieve your vision.

Inspiration

Ella Fitzgerald said, “Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.” When the vision for your organization fits into the values, ideas, and activities that inspire your employees they will be more committed, more productive, and more loyal. Inspire your employees by making your vision come alive for them; show them how important the role they play is in the big picture. Help them to envision how the future looks for them and inspire them with a deep sense of purpose. Reassure them that they are part of something meaningful, something greater than themselves.

Develop a Compelling Vision

If you don’t know where you are going, how will know what you need to get there? A compelling vision is important on an individual level and becomes even more essential as it spreads to teams, communities, and organizations. It is important for you, as a leader, to develop a vision so compelling that your employees can see, and even feel the opportunity that the future holds. Use your vision to motivate, energize, and inspire employees to work with you toward building that future.

 

 

 

© 2015 Elizabeth Stincelli

 

Elizabeth Stincelli is passionate about recognizing and inspiring the leader in each of us. She is the CEO of Stincelli Advisors where she focuses on helping organizations engage employees and improve organizational culture. Elizabeth holds a Doctor of Management degree with an emphasis on organizational leadership.

Learn more about Elizabeth by visiting her website, stincelliadvisors.com and connect with her on Twitter @infinitestin, Google+, and LinkedIn. You can contact her by email at stincelliadvisors@gmail.com.