How to Make Your Vision Come Alive

 Vision is the core of leadership, and you need a powerful vision that can win the hearts and minds of people. A vision does not have to be bold or innovative, as long as it resonates and relates with people.

 However, not all visions are successfully realized. Some visions fail because they are vague or not communicated well to the members of the organization or team. In this article, I will explain the purpose of vision, the reasons why some visions fail, and how to make your vision come alive.

The Purpose of Vision

 Vision serves mainly three purposes. First, it provides direction for the organization or team. When the members of the organization are confused or have different opinions about where to go, vision clarifies the goals and direction and helps them make confident decisions. In situations where there is a lot of uncertainty and volatility, vision maintains the direction of the organization.

 Second, vision motivates people to choose the right actions. The change required to realize the vision can be difficult. When the members have to learn new skills or work with limited resources, vision inspires hope and expectation for the future and helps them overcome difficulties.

 Third, vision aligns the actions of the team. With a clear vision, the members can understand what actions they need to take and act accordingly. Without a vision, the members may waste time in coordinating their diverse opinions.

 The Reasons Why Some Visions Fail

 One of the reasons why some visions fail is that they are ambiguous or not communicated well to the members. In this case, the members may not understand the meaning of the vision or reject the support for the vision. Therefore, it is necessary to solve this problem by expressing and sharing the vision in a specific and clear way.

 Another reason why some visions fail is that they are developed and shared by a few leaders or senior managers without involving the rest of the organization or team. As a result, the members may feel disconnected from the vision and perceive it as irrelevant to themselves. Therefore, it is important to facilitate participation and communication about the vision and provide opportunities for the members to contribute directly to the vision.

 A third reason why some visions fail is that they are difficult or complex to implement. The change needed to realize the vision may be challenging or complicated. The lack of resources, time constraints, organizational culture limitations, etc., may cause difficulties in implementation. In this situation, it is necessary to establish a concrete and executable plan and provide the necessary support and resources for the members to realize the vision.

 A fourth reason why some visions fail is that the leaders do not actively communicate or share their understanding and passion for the vision. The leaders are role models for the vision and should facilitate participation and contribution from the members toward achieving it. The leaders should provide resources and support needed to concretize and realize it. This includes education, motivation, environment that encourages participation from employees, etc. If these conditions are not met, then the vision will remain a weak dream.

 The change in business environment means that you need to review your vision’s validity and adjust it if necessary. The changes in competitive situation, market trends, technological development, etc., can help you review whether your vision is suitable for current situation and future environment. The members and leaders should continuously monitor external environment changes and evaluate their vision anew and make necessary adjustments and responses to maintain its validity. Through this process you may need to adjust or redefine your vision. Your vision should always be suitable for current situation and future environment. Business environment always changes and if you do not respond to these changes then your vision may become unrealistic rather than appropriate.

How to Make Your Vision Come Alive

 If these negative factors that prevent your vision from coming alive are resolved and participation and cooperation on your vision are positively expanded then it will have a very important impact on your organizational culture as well. Culture is an intangible force that determines how people behave, and you should encourage all members of your organization to reflect your vision in their daily actions. By doing this your vision will not just remain as a slogan or poster but will deeply root in your organization’s DNA.

 Then your vision will become a guideline that influences actions and decisions of your entire organization. This is true power of your vision. Keep this in mind and work hard with your members to realize it then your vision will soon become a reality.