SHARING YOUR VISION

Scott Chaikin

Dix & Eaton

Handy-Dandy Vision Crafter

• Our vision is to be a ________ (choose one:

premier, leading, world-class, growing) company that provides ________ (choose: innovative, cost-

effective, high-quality, customer-focused) _________ (choose: products, services, products and services) to ________ (choose: delight our customers, create shareholder value, serve the global marketplace).

Power of Clear, Shared Goals

• Researchers asked the top 10 managers at 125 companies to name their firm’s 5 most critical objectives

• Those at the 40 most profitable companies named a total of 6-12 objectives

• Those at the 40 least profitable companies named a total of 26-43 objectives

What is Vision?

• Mission: enduring purpose of the enterprise

• Values: common beliefs and management philosophy

• Vision: what the company wants to become

A vision is a mental picture of what tomorrow will

look like. It expresses our highest standards

and values. It sets us apart and makes us feel

special. It spans years of time and keeps us

focused on the future.

Kouzes, Posner: The Leadership Challenge

The Hedgehog Vision Model*

WHAT YOU CAN BE THE BEST IN THE WORLD AT

WHAT DRIVES YOUR

ECONOMIC ENGINE

WHAT YOU ARE DEEPLY

PASSIONATE ABOUT

V

*Adapted from Good to Great

Examples

• 3M To solve unsolved problems innovatively

• Fannie Mae To strengthen the social fabric by continually democratizing home

ownership

• Girl Scouts of To help a girl reach her highest

America potential

• Hewlett-Packard To make technical contributions for the advancement and

welfare of humanity

Spreading Your Vision Throughout Your Organization

• Excellent vision statement

• Shared ownership by leadership team

• Two-way dialogue throughout organization

• Repetition, reference and reinforcement

• Walking the talk

• Answers “why us?”• Customer-oriented• Clear and memorable• Ambitious but credible and achievable• Energizing and inspiring• Provide direction and spur action• “Unique”• Cultural/historical/value fit

Criteria For Excellent Vision Statements

Example: Henry Ford’s Vision

• I will build a motor car for the great multitude. . .

• It will be so low in price that no man making a good salary will be unable to own one and enjoy with his family the blessing of hours of pleasure in God’s great open spaces. . .

• When I’m through, everybody will be able to afford one, and everyone will have one. The horse will have disappeared from our highways

Spreading Your Vision Throughout Your Organization

• Excellent vision statement• Shared ownership by leadership team• Two-way dialogue throughout organization• Repetition, reference and reinforcement• Walking the talk