Vision Is the Essence of Leadership, but Shared Vision Is the Real Key

Your willingness to create a Vision for your team is a statement of your belief in their potential. It also infuses your workplace with purpose, meaning, cohesion and spirit.

Winning coaches start each “season” with a Vision in mind. Think of a Vision as a mental snapshot of the future—a preferred reality or an exciting “stretch goal” that your team can get excited about.

It’s often said that Vision is the essence of leadership, but shared vision is the real key. Your task as a leader is not merely to write your Vision on the whiteboard; your goal is to continuously “broadcast” the Vision in a way that gets it off the whiteboard and into the minds and hearts of everyone on your team.

Moving from “Vision Statement” to “Shared Vision” is a process. Sit down and plan an internal communication “campaign” that broadcasts the Vision and its meaning on a recurring (daily, weekly, monthly) basis. That’s what a shared vision is all about.

Your campaign does not have to be elaborate, but it should be regular and recurring. Use all mediums —company voicemail, email, a monthly newsletter, customer feedback and regular team meetings — all designed to focus attention on the meaning and significance of your Vision. Eventually that Vision will come alive in your people.