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4. The Vision Page 1

The Vision

Overview

The Vision enables organizations to define their ideal stateof being. Done correctly, this Vision will inspire andmotivate each and every employee to perform at their verybest. As we'll see in coming modules the Vision will alsohelp us define the goals and objectives of the organization asit brings clarity to what the future will look like.

The Vision is always stated in the present tense as people

begin to imagine what a positive future for their organizationlooks like. This is very similar to what business coachSteven Covey teaches when he encourages people toconstruct a mental image of what success looks like. Hechallenges his students to begin with the end in mind.

Now, in earlier modules we spent a lot of time talking aboutthe current situation of the organization. We learned aboutidentifying the organization's strengths, weaknesses,opportunities, and threats. We also talked about reviewingthe performance of metrics and examining so called STEEP

factors. These different forms of analysis are very importantas we prepare to define the Strategic Vision of theorganization.

Characteristics

Before we learn how to create the vision let's talk a bit about its characteristics.

First, the Vision is best constructed by a group of senior leaders since the chances for longterm success are much higher when the vision is shared by many.

Next, the Vision should be grounded in reality as the team focuses on how to solve existingproblems by the creation of an improved ideal state. This is why having a good grasp of theorganization's strengths and opportunities are so important as we work to manage by facts.

And finally, as we mentioned earlier the vision should inspire all associates, much like Dr.Martin Luther King's vision for a better tomorrow inspired people the world over.

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4. The Vision Page 2

Steps to Creating the Vision

The first step of the process is for theteam to form what we call the reflectionquestion.

For example, a reflection question couldbe, "It's December 2013 and net profitsare at an all time high; how did weaccomplish this?"

Remember, the vision is always stated inthe present tense which is why we alsostate the reflection question in thepresent tense.

We can also create reflection questions that are more project or task-oriented. Here's anexample, "We've designed and deployed an effective expense reporting system. What are itskey characteristics?"

Again, this question is written in the present tense as if it's already happened.

Now, once the reflection question is created the second step of the process is to leverage apowerful brainstorming tool called the Affinity Diagram.

To begin this process each team member writes down as many answers to the reflectionquestion as they can on post it notes.

Each post it note should have one answer written in block letters. Once complete each postit note should be randomly placed on a wall or piece of butchers paper. Each team membershould be encouraged to read all their colleagues' answers as this will help generate additionalideas.

After around 10 to 20 minutes there will most likely be dozens of post it notes on the wall.We've personally seen more than a hundred post it notes created by a small group in less than20 minutes.

Once all team members are satisfied with their answers it's time to group all the answers intocommon themes. There are different ways to go about this process but the technique weprefer is for the entire group to work together in silence as they start to move the ideas intogroups. Now, if a team member disagrees with the placement of a post it note they cansimply move it and if there is definite disagreement as to where something belongs that ideacan be duplicated and placed in two groups.

Once the team is comfortable all the post it notes are in their correct group the next step isto create header cards for each group. This is an important step as the header card shouldcapture the true meaning of the group.

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To start, teams often come up with a single word to describe the group of post it notes suchas "Continuous Improvement." They then work to better define this into a completestatement such as, "All associates relentlessly attack waste on a daily basis."

At this point, these header cards now summarize the vision of the organization and should be

shared with all associates in order to gain their buy in. An effective approach is to giveassociates different colored post it notes and ask them to add their own thoughts and ideas.

The last step of the process is for one of the group members, who may be skilled as awordsmith, to summarize the header cards into a narrative format or bullet point formatwhich can then be easily shared with external stakeholders in various formats such asbrochures and annual reports.