An organization’s vision is one of those illusive phrases and usually gets slapped together with the holy trinity of organizational strategy: mission, vision and values.
You’ve probably heard every strategic planning session start out that way. “Let’s take a look at our mission, vision and values and make sure they are current and reflect the future of our organization.” Sound familiar
Like our previous post on values, vision is very important to the development and success of your organization or association. Whereas a mission tells others who you are, what you do, why you do it and for whom you do it for, vision tells people where the organization is going. Some might say it’s the most exciting part of the trinity!
Unfortunately, there can be a long gap (or cliff) between writing the statement (which is hard in and of itself) and the ability to actualize the vision and systematize it throughout the organization. In fact 70-80% of vision statements fail. Vision statements aren’t just the big ones on your bylaws or plastered on your organization’s walls; vision statements can also be any new idea, project or change initiative. John Kotter, renowned author and change management guru, wrote in Leading Change that 70% of change initiatives in organizations and businesses fail.
When I start to tackle a vision for a new project, committee or for an organization, I think of it as “change.” You are asking a group of people to go from where it’s comfortable, familiar and the way they’ve always done something to a new place that can be scary, as well as exciting. That’s a big ask. You’re asking people to change and realize your vision.
Implementing a successful vision shouldn’t be left to the elite or once-in-a-generation geniuses. You can do it too. You’ve heard the quote 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration. I think there’s a lot of that quote in the implementation of vision statements.
Think back to the last time you tried to implement a vision you had. Once you were convinced the change or vision was appropriate, how much time did you spend planning the adoption of the vision by other people? Did you tell people what it would look like, how it would be rolled out, or who was going to coordinate it? There have probably been a number of times where someone has responded to your vision with, “Well this is something new and we’re not quite sure what to expect. We’ll need to wait and see.
One flaw many of us make when implementing a new vision is to immediately jump in head first without giving thought to what’s below. We must start with the belief that there is a significant amount of work (perspiration) to be done on the part of the vision implementer before the first words of “vision” or “change” (inspiration) are ever spoken.
Two social scientists, Beckhard and Gliecher, believed that three things had to be present for meaningful change or adoption of a vision to occur. Without these three components, initiatives where inherently flawed and at risk of failing. They combined these three things into what is known as the Change Formula:
D x V x F > R
Using the formula we can begin to lay the foundation of vision adoption in order to overcome the “R” or resistance. The resistance is the pushback we get when trying to implement something new or modify something that’s been in place for a long time – say like an old, worn out vision!
New visions for your organization can come with their own kind of resistance designed to disrupt and possibly derail the process, and many times it’s the actions we take prematurely that awaken the resistance. So let’s break down this formula.
D = Dissatisfaction with Status Quo
The ‘D’, which is the first step in our change process, stands for Dissatisfaction, and more specifically dissatisfaction with the status quo. In essence, we must be able to articulate why it is unsafe to stay where we are.
We often recommend that leaders actually write out a one or two page Case for a New Vision document detailing why the new vision must occur:
1. What is the background for the new vision? What has led up to this need to for a new vision?
2. What challenges or problems are we facing in the current situation that will cripple us if we don’t begin addressing them today? What is the impact of these challenges?
3. What will happen if we stay the same? Why should we act now?
4. What are we going to have to let go of and why?
5. What will the new vision require? What will it cost us to change? What will it cost us if we don’t change?
6. How will we know when we have succeeded?
V = The Compelling Vision
Once we’ve developed a clear Case for a New Vision, we must share our vision of where we’d like to go. In this case the ‘V’ stands for Compelling Vision. An interesting note about a vision change is that there are typically two types of people present in any vision change: those who “lead” and those who “follow.” Those who lead can be on either end of the spectrum. They are either for or against the change, leading the group forward into uncharted territory, or leading the group back to familiar ground.
Those who “follow” typically rest in the middle, and will usually end up following whichever person seems to have a better idea of where he/she is going and how he/she wants to get there. Knowing that, we must always be sure that we have a clear vision that we’re trying to reach and the approach we’re going to use to get there. Sharing that with people at every opportunity becomes our passion, as we know the resistance is also actively recruiting to their side. You’ve seen this action at water coolers and elevators, “Hey did you hear what management wants us to do…” Your role as the vision champion is to speak positively for your vision to overwhelm resistance to it!
For years John Kennedy was identified as the driving force behind the space program. However, it wasn’t because he was technically savvy, but more so because he never wavered in his vision for America during the space race. “We will put a man on the moon and bring him back safely by the end of the decade.” Likewise, Abraham Lincoln wasn’t the best soldier, but it was his vision that kept the Union together.
The vision needs to be so clear that everyone gets it. No management mumbo-jumbo; no statistics that are meaningless to most people; no negative visioning. The vision needs to capture our imagination so clearly in our minds’ eye that we know exactly what it will look like when we get there.
Most vision exercises don’t define the line-in-the-sand that will let us know when we’re successful. The vision must be a clear target – like a bull’s eye – that steers our course. As Tom Peters said long ago, the vision is a compass in a wild and stormy sea. Think about the big “move” you are planning to do. Has the vision of what the change will achieve been clearly defined for everyone involved?
F = First Steps
Next in our sequence is the ‘F’ or First Steps. This is typically where we slip up. We starting “talking” change before we’re ready to implement, and just talking about it is considered a first step. Simply put, when we do implement the proper cadence of the formula, we tend to put it like FxDxV<R. It is the act of initiating the new vision that classifies as a first step and because we’ve set the ball in motion, we’ve opened ourselves up to Resistance (without the backup of our D or V).
Typically what we see in organizations is the interest in changing something that has been a standard for a long time, realizing that in order to succeed as an organization, we must change. It isn’t that the change is a bad or wrong, but without prepping the foundation for us to stand on; we eventually either succumb to the resistance or tear the fabric of the organization.
When we get the urge to start to change things up, say with a new vision for our organization, it’s so tempting to start making things happen. “Let’s form a committee or team and brainstorm ideas.” The problem with beginning with First Steps is the impact First Steps have on the Resistance in the formula. You see, when we take First Steps we wake up the Resistance and the race is on. They start to complain and exaggerate why the vision is no good, and without our Case for a New Vision in hand (the D) or our compelling vision (the V), we have no immediate, consolidated approach to respond to the Resistance.
The key to this formula rests not in the individual parts but in the sum of the whole, recognizing that it is the D… times the V… times the F, in that sequence, that eventually topples the Resistance to your vision.
It’s important to remember that strong resistors only make up about 8-15% of any total group; a similar percentage exists on the other side as vision champions. Then sitting in the middle of our bell curve are those people who might be described as “bystanders,” on the sidelines waiting to see how the vision will go. The race is on when we initiate vision change to get these bystanders over to the positive side, our side! If you think of it as a political or marketing campaign, you’re heading in the right direction!
If you are truly committed to implementing a new vision within your organization, you must as well be committed to doing it in a way that ensures success.
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Matt Harrington is author, speaker and founder of Harrington Brands. Harrington Brands focuses on working with organizations and associations to reimagine culture, leadership and people: www.HarringtonBrands.com