Vision Needed to Bring Mission Into Sight

There is a story about a dog, Buck, who sees a fox and takes off, barking. Soon, neighborhood dogs join Buck in the chase. But after some distance, one by one, the neighborhood dogs stop.

Despite being as tired as the others, Buck continues alone. The adventure finally ends when Buck has chased the fox back to the safety of his den.

Why didn’t Buck quit like the others? Why did he continue?

The answer is simple: Buck saw the fox.

In other words, Buck had a vision. And vision is vital to success, in business and in our personal lives. Vision creates passion and connects leadership with mission.

A vision is an image of a desired destination, a better place we believe we can get to. A vision is a picture of a mission realized with integrity, where decisions and actions reflect our core values. A vision defines direction in terms of the destination and how to get there.

Vision is not a hope. Vision is not a vague concept. And vision is not the same as a mission or goal. A mission is a purpose, while a goal is a target.

The importance of achieving the purpose is reflected in the number of organizations and individuals who write mission statements and strive to fulfill them. Yet, like many new year’s resolutions, mission statements are not accomplishing what we want.

Many mission statements are sterile. Instead of their providing the direction and commitment we seek, we find ourselves making progress in a meandering, if not disjointed, fashion. Why? Our connection with our mission is not deep or personal enough. Our mission is not real enough. We are missing an important link. We don’t have a clear vision.

A vision develops a deeper understanding of mission. A vision inspires commitment. And a vision builds and sustains motivation. By creating a vision, we increase the likelihood that we will achieve our mission.

Translate your mission into a clear vision. Here are five ideas to consider as you develop your vision.

1. Creating a vision is part of leadership. A clear vision that reinforces purpose and inspires commitment is rarely developed by a committee. Perspectives and reactions are solicited, but an effective vision is more often created by a person, not a committee. A vision is the work of a leader.

2. Developing a vision is reflective work that requires a deep understanding of the organization’s capabilities, competitiveness and performance. Understand what achievement of mission and key goals has meant and can mean. Identify a challenging set of possibilities that elicits passion and link them with the organization’s core values.

3. Trust and respect are fundamental for effective organizational use of a vision. Assess the depth and extent of trust and respect you have nurtured. Seek to strengthen these as you create your vision. And if you are new to an organization, consider the need to strengthen the base of trust and respect you have earned before declaring your vision.

4. Developing a vision involves risk-taking. It requires choosing, among desirable alternatives, a destination and path. This can be uncomfortable business. By developing a clear vision, you declare a desired place for your organization as well as declaring your interests, values and hopes. You unveil a personal part of yourself. You create a vulnerability. No vision or a fuzzy vision allows different interpretations of a mission. By creating a clear vision, some people will support it, but others may not. Some people will agree; others will disagree. A clear vision has costs, but they are worth incurring.

5. Vision can also be represented by a collage of mental images portraying success in different settings. You and your organization work on a number of levels, with different people, in a variety of situations. You work with people on the operational front line as well as divisional and corporate management. You help customers. You are a representative to the community. You are not one-dimensional. As a result, your vision should reflect your relevant settings. Fulfilling purpose is important, as an organization, as part of an organization and as an individual. And through creating a vision, mission, core values and goals are reexamined, clarified and often strengthened.

Visualize your mission and enhance your opportunity to achieve it fully and in a timely manner. Inspire commitment and build sustainable motivation.

Create your vision. Remember Buck. See that fox.

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Gary Izumo is a professor in the Moorpark College Business Department and has managed his own consulting practice. Mr. Izumo is a former McKinsey & Company consultant and practice leader for the strategic management consulting practice of Price Waterhouse.