The “Vision Thing”: How to Find It, Frame It, and Live It

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In the absence of a great dream, pettiness prevails. – Peter Senge

At some point in his or her career, every politician gets tarred with a catch phrase – and usually not a flattering one.

George Bush, Sr. is stuck with two. There was “Read my lips, no new taxes,” of course. But only slightly less unfortunate was his dismissal of what he called, “The ‘vision thing.'”

[wcm_restrict]He was trying at the time to shake the impression that he was a competent day-to-day manager but lacked any grander vision of where he wanted to lead the country. His choice of words and tone of voice didn’t exactly help.

John F. Kennedy had a vision: “A man on the moon before the end of the decade.” And it inspired the seemingly impossible. We had about 15 percent of the needed know-how when he made that declaration.

Bill Gates had a vision that there would be a computer on every desk in America. And this was back when most people didn’t even know what a computer was!

Why vision matters
I once had a CEO look me straight in the eye and say he didn’t really “go for” visions. “I put my energy into training,” he said. “Training, training, training.”

But training for what? I wondered. You do training without a vision, you’re all gas pedal and no windshield.

A study at the Sloan School of Management showed that leaders who create, communicate, and implement successful organizational visions were shown to be more successful in EVERY measure of a business than those who did not.

Three elements of a truly GREAT vision
Powerful, effective, propelling visions all have three things in common:

  1. Short, simple and strong. Shorter is stronger. Take a given sentence and ask which words are pulling their weight and which can take a hike. Change vague expressions like “high-quality” and “world-class” into specific, powerful language that reflects your values. Simpler is also better. Use words that a fourth grader could understand.
  2. Visual. There’s a reason it’s called a VISION. A statement that doesn’t create a powerful visual image of the future isn’t a vision. It doesn’t give people anything to keep in their mind’s eye while they work. You need a landmark on the horizon or you’re driving blind.
  3. Of service to others. Make sure your vision statement reflects an intense, focused drive to serve the needs of your customers, not just to “satisfy.”

The human spirit will not invest in mediocrity. That’s why a vision always starts with a bold and audacious idea. A vision statement is nothing less than an invitation for others to invest in your dreams and a promise to do the same in return. By following these simple rules, you can create the kind of vision that has been proven to power companies beyond what was ever thought possible.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember]

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About the Author

Roxanne Emmerich’s Thank God It’s Monday!: How to Create a Workplace You and Your Customers Love is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and #1 Amazon bestseller. Roxanne is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into dynamic, results-oriented, “bring-it-on” cultures in a day. Listen to the free 60-second audio with teammates each Monday to clean up the craziness in your workplace and focus on getting massive results. Sign up today at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com.

StrategyDriven Organizational Performance Measures Warning Flag Article

Source Data Manipulation

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All organizational performance measurement systems rely foundationally on their source data. And like a house built on sand, these performance measurement systems fail if their source data becomes corrupt.[wcm_restrict plans=”41526, 25542, 25653″]

Source data manipulations occur for many reasons; some innocent and others malintent. Regardless of the reason, altering metric data necessarily generates a measurement output different than that expected; driving decision-making in a potentially dangerous direction. Therefore, unintended or purposeful performance measure data manipulation should be avoided.

Performance measure data manipulation occurs because of either a lack of preventive measures and/or errant behaviors. While not all inclusive, the four lists below, Process-Based Warning Flags, Process Execution Warning Flags – Behaviors, Potential, Observable Results, and Potential Causes, are designed to help organization leaders recognize whether performance measure source data is or is at risk of being altered. Only after a problem is recognized and its causes identified can the needed action be taken to move the organization toward improved performance.

Process-Based Warning Flags

  • Non-existent or loosely defined data standards
  • Lack of data change controls
  • Broadly assigned data system access authority beyond read-only access
  • Absence of system reinforced data entry quality standards
  • Lack of data transparency

Process Execution Warning Flags – Behaviors

  • Routine correction of system data rather than input improvement and standards reinforcement
  • Executive and manager withholding of typically unrestricted data

Potential, Observable Results

  • Step changes in metric output
  • Incongruousness between related metrics
    • – in time series
    – different inter-dependent measures
  • Unexplained delays in releasing metrics and reports
  • Protectiveness or secrecy of a metric, especially those that were previously more widely distributed

Potential Causes

  • Lack of system use training, especially process-based training highlighting the interrelatedness of processes, importance of data accuracy, and impacts of data changes
  • Misdirected effort to correct errant data
  • Accidental alteration
  • Malintent

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Leadership Inspirations – Bringing the Future into the Present

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“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.”

Alan Lakein
Well-known author on personal time management and creator of Lakein’s Question: “What is the best use of my time right now?”

StrategyDriven Podcast Episode 28 – Responsibility-Driven Leadership

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StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles found on the StrategyDriven website.

Episode 28 – Responsibility-Driven Leadership examines why now more than ever, people seek leaders who see beyond their own needs, who have vision and integrity, who inspire trust, and who encourage and develop their employees. During this discussion, Emmett Murphy, Chair of Murphy Leadership, shares with us his insights on:

  • the difference between responsibility and accountability
  • what responsibility-driven leadership is and qualities these leaders possess
  • the unique value responsibility-driven leadership provides to help companies survive and thrive in these difficult economic times
  • how responsibility-driven leadership can be fostered among the executives, managers, and employees within an organization

Additional Information

In addition to the invaluable insights Emmett shares with us in this podcast are the additional materials and resources found on his website, Murphy Leadership (www.MurphyLeadership.com). Complimenting Emmett’s website are his two books:


Final Request…

The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.

Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!

About the Contributor

Emmett Murphy is Chair of Murphy Leadership, a leadership development consultancy providing dynamic programs, products and services that have yielded remarkable results at companies such as IBM, AT&T, Xerox, and McDonald’s. He is the author of the New York Times business bestseller Leadership IQ and the recently released Talent IQ. Dr. Murphy has held faculty, administrative, and consulting positions with the State University of New York, the American Management Association, Booz-Allen Hamilton, and London University, among others. To read Emmett’s full biography, click here.
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