A few months ago, I was asked to become part of a group to develop a vision for Saipan. We decided that it would be difficult to create a shared vision without first defining a shared set of values. The group was a private effort, and we felt it was necessary because of the lack of a cohesive vision from any other government or business entity. I was recently reading that the city of San Marcos, Texas is conducting their own visioning process to update their 1996 comprehensive plan. The project is being called “Dream San Marcos.”
The city is trying to make the most of the opportunities they can see ahead of them, and they’ve enlisted the community to share their ideas through emails, comment cards, and online software at IdeaScale.com. They also plan to meet with citizens, businesses, students, and civic groups at community events. The purpose is to get the input from as many people in the community. Matthew Lewis, Director of Development Services stated: “We’ve got questions. Our citizens have the answers.”
The community vision will be part of a comprehensive plan, which in turn will help determine infrastructure planning to meet the community’s needs and desires. To encourage input, the city staff is posing questions to encourage people to share their ideas and dreams for San Marcos. Some of the questions being posed include: What do we want San Marcos to be when it “grows up?” What kind of jobs do you think people will want to have in the San Marcos of your dream? What are the five most important things that can contribute to our future quality of life?
It takes real leadership to not only come up with a truly shared vision for the future, but to also have the drive and determination to make that vision become a reality. A shared vision is essential before a city, organization, or person can really set goals and move in a specific direction because they should know the end before they begin. The vision I’m talking about is not the succinct phrase that’s conjured up by a committee and usually offers some platitudinous or generic statement that begins with “we strive to be the best…”
Instead, your vision should be a descriptive word picture that clearly paints a canvas in the mind when heard by employees and all who will take part in the finished creation. This is important because if everyone in the organization is not seeing the exact same vision, then there is little chance that you will see it in the future. The vision may take several pages to articulate and it should include all major areas within the organization, as well as its role in the community.
When you step into the future, you should focus on the “what” and not the “how” because too much focus on the how may hinder or stifle creative expression and dream-sharing. You want to encourage individuals to get out of their comfort zone. Describe what you see and what it will feel like when you realize what it is that you want to realize.
It might help to imagine that you’re going to make a movie of your vision project. This will require you to identify the key actors, their roles, who you serve, and how your company will play a major part to transform their lives. You will also need to know the plot, and how the story will unfold as you come to the triumphant end of the movie.
Imagine what will happen when the movie comes to an end and how everyone feels at the climax when you overcome obstacles and achieve your moment of glory. Here are some questions you might want to ask as you construct your movie: What do you see? What do you hear? What are customers saying about you? What comments are employees sharing around the water cooler? What is the community saying about your company? What are the organization’s core values, and how have they influenced the decisions that were made?
Once you have the details determined, you can begin to play the movie in your mind. You may want to do some editing as you get further input from others. When it’s time to have your premiere showing, you can share your story with others in a way that allows them to upload the film in their mind. Make the movie vivid, in grand colors, with a full symphony playing in the background as you overcome your challenges to move the company to victory. Make it an award-winning production that gets people playing it over in their minds. If it’s exciting enough, you’ll have a fan base of energized employees and raving customers who will be excited to be a part of the story. All you’ll need now is some popcorn.
If you can conceive it and believe it; then you will achieve it.
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