Imagine sitting down with a book—an action-adventure story—where there is only one character. Without anyone to save or an ideal to defend, would you care about the outcome?
Chances are the answer is no.
Having a compelling vision means focusing outside of yourself, as the leader. It requires dedication to others and leading from a place of service.
In Part I of this series, we talked about purposeful leadership and the key elements it requires. Now, we’re looking at how to communicate that compelling vision outward—to your staff, your partners, perhaps even to shareholders, and others invested in your company.
3 Key Elements to Clearly Communicate Your Compelling Vision
There are 3 key elements in successfully communicating your organization’s compelling vision. If these go unmet or worse, if leadership doesn’t recognize their importance, there will be greater challenges ahead.
- First, there must be alignment. This essential step begins by creating a group vision with those you lead through dialogue that yields a high level of commitment. Don’t expect it to happen in a single meeting or within a week. Alternately, don’t wait until every employee understands all the details of the greater plan.
In the article, “Why Visionary Leadership Fails,” in the Harvard Business Review, it’s noted, “Employees of misaligned visionary managers indicated that their managers created confusion and uncertainty about what the company strategy entailed.” - Secondly, remain close to your core vision. Tap into your deep sense of purpose. Any fog in the leader’s office will engulf everyone else in the organization. Clarity and focus and the ability to weed out distractions and side issues are essential. The rewards are great for the leader who can do this consistently. Working from that deep sense of purpose comes through in your optimism, enthusiasm, and passion.
- Thirdly, communicate that compelling vision of the future clearly to team members and other leaders. This encourages everyone in the organization to have their vision while also working together toward the greater one.
Leadership in the workplace requires that these elements be used in conjunction. By doing so, you’ll clearly communicate your business’s compelling vision to members of your organization at every level.
This blog post, “7 Steps to Communicate and Achieve Expected Outcomes,” offers hands-on tools to facilitate clear outcomes. The planning and communicating effective outcomes steps are particularly important when it comes to communicating a compelling vision in your business.
“If you want to build a ship, don’t herd people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.”
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Being Clear About Your Compelling Vision
How do you know if your vision is compelling…or confusing? Here is a simple test: when people meet with you, they get your vision. They may not understand every nuance and conceivable outcome, but they understand clearly what the vision is and how you intend to bring it to life.
Research on leadership skills suggests that this is an essential element in the success of you and your organization. This article in Forbes, notes “Having a brilliant vision and strategy doesn’t make a difference if you can’t get your leaders and employees to buy into that vision.” And how can they buy into it if they don’t understand it clearly?
Being a strong leader requires you to create a vision and translate that vision into strategies, goals, and actions that achieve results.
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Are you struggling to communicate your compelling vision? With more than 30 years of coaching and mentoring, I’ve worked alongside business leaders to improve and accelerate performance at all levels. Please reach out for a complimentary consultation today.