A company vision very often forms the building blocks of an organisation on which everything else is built upon but this vision can be lost during daily challenges or becomes just a piece of rhetoric rather than the bedrock for actions. As a leader, it is important that your vision is not neglected and you truly embody what it is you want your company to stand for.
Defining the vision
In order to truly live the company vision, you need to be certain of what the vision is. Without a simple, overarching vision and a clear path to get there you are much more likely to struggle to stick to it. If you are not clear yourself about your company vision, how can you expect your employees to work to this and prospective customers to know? Once you are clear on what it is you want to achieve, you can then filter this down to other members of the team.
Align this with values and behaviours
Once you have distilled your company vision into a simple and targeted goal, ensure that the values and behaviours of yourself and your team and in line with this. For example, if your company vision is to raise workplace diversity and inclusivity, you need to ensure your values and behaviours feed into this – such as calling out discriminative behaviours and giving everyone the opportunity to share their experiences. As a leader, you need to role model these behaviours to ensure they are fully integrated – employees will do as you act, not as you say. As the figurehead you are the pioneer for these behaviours.
Communicate it through all channels
Without clear communication of the vision between leaders and members of the team, it will just become a piece of lost information. It is important that you introduce the company vision to all new employees during the onboarding process so that they know exactly what framework they are working within; even as part of the interview process so they are never in doubt about what it is you stand for. If your vision naturally evolves and changes, involve employees in the creation of new smaller goals and objectives that feed into this overarching vision, especially as they will be working towards these and if there is an agreement from all parties, everyone will be more motivated to work.
Outside of the organisation, embodying a strong company vision is also beneficial for creating a strong, recognizable brand. If you are seen to truly represent the values and vision through your actions that you claim to have, prospective customers, are more likely to purchase from you if their personal values align.
Conclusion
A company vision is really important to ensure your business remains focused, your team remains united and your customers are engaged. As a leader, make sure that you live this vision and clearly demonstrate it through your actions and behaviours so it is clear to employees and customers alike exactly what you stand for.
By Sarah Jones