Vision For Your Business
This is the place to start. As a new start up this is the obvious place to start. To sit down and start to paint the beautiful mural that will be your ultimate business. How will it look and feel, what is the purpose of the business, who are your ideal clients, how will you deliver your products and services? It’s interesting to note, that many of the established small to medium businesses we consult to have lost site of the vision of their business. It has faded into the background which is a symptom of leaders getting caught up ‘in the business’ rather than keeping their eye on the prize and being strategic.
Clarity is an essential ingredient to developing your vision together with specificity. The clearer your vision, the more life you can inject into it to make it look colorful and exciting, the more it will motivate you towards it, especially during those challenging times that every business experiences.
1. Start with your values. What are the principles of your business and what does your business stand for? These are the values that you will not compromise and will in effect be your compass to determine decisions and business dealings. These are important to any business. Sit down and really focus on what you want your business to stand for and be known for.
2. Paint the picture. Project yourself into the future where there are no constraints, what do you want your business to look like and feel like? What is the ultimate goal of your business? Who are your ideal clients and how is your business making a difference to them? These are big questions for sure and we have worked with numerous businesses to assist them to define these. It’s not something to do in a hurry. You need to allocate time and emotional energy into this. This is your creation. The more time you invest, the better the outcome.
3. The compelling reason why. What is the purpose of your business? Big question! Without really knowing and understanding your business purpose, the ‘why’ is missing from your ‘what’ and it’s the why that creates momentum. Your purpose is the real reason for being in business. It’s the critical component to any business that enables you and your team to move forward through challenges and navigate obstacles because you know and are sure of the difference you are making to your clients.
Once you have navigated your way through these steps, you will need to get your vision into a concise format and display your vision. Keep it alive and allow it to breath. The worst thing you can do is lock it away in a draw. You need to be referring to your vision constantly, ensuring you are on the path to achieving your vision and delivering your purpose.
This is the emotional component to business leadership and necessary