What's Your Vision?

“Four hundred years ago you were executed as a witch if you said you’d had a vision, now they’re compulsory”.  I heard this at a conference and it’s stayed with me when working with clients. It seems that every organisation has articulated, or wants to develop, its “vision”.  Interestingly, many of them struggle to describe what they see.
There are a few possible reasons for this difficulty. Perhaps the most common is not being clear (no irony intended) about what a vision statement is. My advice is simple: say what it is you want the result of your work and activity to be. How do you see the future as a consequence of what you do? Two examples: 
• Google’s vision “is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful."
•  Nike’s is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete”
in the world" (In the 1960s it was, allegedly, “Crush Adidas”!)
You may not have such ambitious goals as mastering all the information in the world, or ensuring that every athlete is inspired (or a competitor is bettered and destroyed), but if you’re not going to change things why are you bothering?  Imagine the best you can deliver, and that is surely your vision.

 Which brings me to another reason why visions are sometimes hard to put down. It’s the challenge of imagining. We all accept that to imagine is a creative process, it’s conjuring up a scenario of “what if”.  That doesn’t mean, however, a blurred, woolly, view of the future.  There still must be clarity of purpose about what you are set up to do.  What’s the reason you are operating, and how can you keep that in mind whilst imagining.  Vision, as opposed to having a vision, is about seeing and, as Mark Twain aptly put it, “You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus”.
Vision statements are the guide for every organisation. They are a benchmark against which you can test your actions, policies, spending priorities, and just about everything else. Is this decision going to help us move towards achieving the future that is our vision? 
“Determine that the thing can and shall be done and then we shall find the way." — Abraham Lincoln.
Vision statements, simple and strong, should be a part of every organisation. Don’t over elaborate; don’t mix them up with principles and values. Keep thinking about how you are going to change the world!

 

Posted on: 18th May 2011 in

We want an inspiring Head who can lead with vision and raise standards, say schools

The identikit of a desirable headteacher is one who is an inspirational and visionary leader, and with the ability to improve a school’s standards.

That’s the finding of a study into what are the characteristics and attributes schools looked for in a new headteacher, and what the priorities for the job are.

Nearly two-thirds (63%) of ads identified Leadership Skills, slightly more than Inspirational ones (60%). Just over half (51%) wanted heads to focus on school improvement, and 46% said they were looking for someone with Vision.

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