A vision provides the inspiration and clarity that enables teams to understand what they are working towards, and to do it in a way where they can make more decisions themselves.
A clear and inspiring vision connects teams to the day-to-day work and is one element in building appropriate decentralised decision-making. Decentralised decision-making or decision-making closer to the point of value creation is a key element for an adaptable organisation.
A vision can be for the organisation as a whole, the product, or even the product’s features. The vision is the top level for structuring work in a customer-centric product-focused organisation.
WHAT TAKES A VISION FROM GOOD TO GREAT?
Do you have a truly great vision?
Does it meet the following criteria?
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- It is aspirational. It takes you from where you are to a better state
- You can test your decision-making against it
- It is always phrased in the positive
- It contains elements that evoke feelings (preferably positive!)
- Your employees, colleagues and stakeholders can imagine themselves as part of that vision and the story it tells
When these markers are in place, transformational leaders can speak to this vision and increase the odds of teams aligning to a purpose. Individuals feel they are a part of and have the autonomy to work out how they make it happen.
A vision is a powerful artefact.