Let’s continue our series about Change and tackle the V of the Change Formula (reminder: DxVxF>R) this week - Vision!
Once we’ve developed a clear dissatisfaction with status quo (through our Case for Change), we must share our Vision of where we’d like to go instead. In this case the ‘V’ stands for compelling Vision.
As we learned last week, there are typically two types of people present in any change: those who lead and those who follow and those who lead are on either end of the spectrum. As we mentioned before, they are either for or against the change, leading the group forward into uncharted territory (Change Champions), or leading the group back to familiar ground (Resistors or The Toxic Few).
Those who follow instead of lead typically rest in the middle (Bystanders), and will usually end up following whichever person seems to have a better idea of where they are going and how they want to get there. Knowing that, we must always be sure that we have a clear vision of the goal we’re trying to reach and the approach we’re going to use. Sharing that with people at every opportunity becomes our passion, as we know the Resistance is also actively recruiting to their side.
For years, President John F. Kennedy was identified as the driving force behind the space program. However, it wasn’t because he was technically savvy, or understood space all that well, 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.”
As Dannemiller and Jacobs (later architects of the Change Formula) surmised in 1992, the Vision component encapsulates the desired destination towards which the organization aspires to journey. It serves as a North Star, guiding stakeholders through uncertainty and instilling a sense of purpose amidst turbulence.
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 mind's eye that we know exactly what it will look like when we get there.
A compelling vision transcends mere strategic objectives; it paints a holistic picture of the organization's identity, values, and aspirations. It resonates with employees on a deeply personal level, evoking a shared sense of belonging and commitment to a common cause.
The Vision is a clear target – like a bull’s eye – that steers our course. Think about a change initiative you are planning to do. Has the Vision of what the change will achieve been clearly defined for everyone involved
Crafting a compelling vision requires a delicate balance of art and science. It demands visionary leadership capable of articulating a future state that is both ambitious yet attainable, aspirational yet anchored in reality. John Kotter, in his landmark Harvard Business Review article Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail, emphasizes the importance of leaders as architects of change, tasked with painting a vivid portrait of what could be and galvanizing others to join in the pursuit of that vision.
Direct Application: The 5 Ps of Creating a Vision Statement
So, how do we actually create this almost mystical in size and scope vision and share it with people? A clear and compelling Vision can be captured and communicated by using the 5 Ps: Purpose, Picture, Plan, Performance Measure and Part. When these are all put together you have your elevator speech to “sell” the Vision:
Purpose: Creating the purpose for why we need to change is a critical first step (hint: go back to your Case for a Change).
Picture: People remember visuals more than they do words. So our next step is to create a metaphor or example that sticks with the person after we’re gone. President Lincoln’s “A house divided cannot stand” created the image of a house for the Vision of keeping America together as one nation.
Plan: People generally can only remember clusters of three or four concepts at a time. So, we need to keep our plan simple and memorable. Think about using a simple, One Page Strategy document to capture the full plan.
Performance Measure: It’s important that our elevator speech lets people know what success will look like and how we will measure it. Again, the One Page Strategy with SMART goals, along with dashboards, reports, ongoing surveys and constant communication will be helpful in this area.
Part: Here is the most critical piece of the elevator speech. We need to give the person a specific task that they can do that will help move the change along.
Let’s pause on part for a minute. As mentioned above, this is a very crucial element to the vision because it involves others. No longer is it just your vision, but it becomes “our” vision. It is the call to action in any great story (e.g. Princess Leia asking Obi Wan, Luke Skywalker and eventually Hans Solo, Chewbacca, R2D2 and C3PO for help).
Nancy Duarte’s book Resonate describes four different kinds of people and how they react to a call to action. The Doers are the worker bees. Once they know what has to be done, they’ll do the physical tasks. They recruit and motivate other doers to complete important activities. Suppliers are the ones with the resources - financial, human, or material. They have the means to get you what you need to move forward. Influencers can sway individuals and groups, large and small, mobilizing them to adopt and evangelize your vision. Finally, the innovators think outside the box for new ways to modify and spread your idea. They create strategies, perspectives, and products. They bring their brains to the table.
As you go out and start to perform this elevator pitch around purpose, picture, plan and performance, make sure to key in on all four types of people you need to play a part in the vision. You will need all kinds. Each type will lend a different kind of support that you will need to accomplish the vision.
