Vision

The Bible says that without vision the people will perish. Most companies, large or small, have vision or mission statements. Vision statements are not all that hard to develop and they usually sound really good. There are lots of buzz words we can put into our vision statements. Our vision statements can say that our companies can be ‘proactive’, they can be ‘empowering’, they can be ‘dynamic’ and on and on, but the hard part is living up to these vision statements.

If we don’t live up to these vision statements then they are worthless and one could even argue that if we don’t live up to them then we are basically liars. The assumption is that if we declare a vision statement then we will be living up to it. I wonder how many companies and corporations truly live out their vision statements. I wonder if there is a correlation between company or organization size and the passion that the vision statement has in the hearts of those who work there.

My hunch is that the bigger the company or organization the less buy in to the corporate vision statement by the employees. As I think about that, though, I wonder why. Could it be that as our organizations get bigger then the top ranking officials are more insulated from the rank and file thereby the rank and file doesn’t feel comfortable speaking into the executives’ lives when they veer from the corporate vision? If I see my boss not living out the vision am I comfortable speaking to him or her about it? How about his boss? Am I comfortable speaking to him or her?

An organization’s vision comes from the top down. The organization’s executives must live out the vision if they expect the rank and file to live it out. The CEO must empower people if he expects the organization to be empowering. The CIO should manage dynamically if he expects the organization to be dynamic. If the heads of the organization don’t see enough value in the vision statement to live it out then the rank and file won’t either.

However, if the organization heads will live and breathe the vision and live it out every day then the rank and file will see the value in the organization and its mission and will be more likely to follow the leadership. The best way to sell a vision is to live it, to live a life of integrity that encourages others to follow, and to build servant leadership into your vision.