Vision and Values 65- Do you simply tell them how it is going to be?
This works best if you genuinely know more, if you
are in the best position to see the future conse-
quences, if the situation is already difficult and if
you have the personal credibility to make your
solution stick. - Do you try to convince them of the benefits?
This is usually better than just telling, because it
allows people to connect what you say with what
they want and to see what the benefits are for them,
if any. Again, you need personal credibility for this
to work. (And what do you do if they are not
convinced?) - Do you gather all views and then decide?
- Or do you have a free discussion where all voices
are equal and let the solution emerge without
knowing in advance exactly what it is going to be? - Do you use a different style in different situations?
And if so, how do you decide which style fits the
best?
It is worth considering all these points because once you
have a vision for your organization, it still has to be elabo-
rated into measurable steps and projects and it has to be put
into action. The more people are involved in creating it, the
more they will own it, feel it is ‘theirs’ and the more they will
be personally committed to making it work. And a business
will also need to be linked with a competitive strategy or it
will be squeezed out of the market.
When a shared vision does evolve, it must have enough
flexibility, enough ambiguity, for it to continue to fit the
changing organization. The organization that puts the strat-
egy and vision into effect is not the organization that created
the strategy and vision, nor is it the organization that the
strategy and vision was created for. Change is the only con-
stant, so the vision and strategy have to be flexible. But a
workforce motivated and organized by a shared vision is one
of the most powerful competitive advantages possible.