BENEFITS OF A GOOD VISION

For most people, their experience of vision is limited to the corporate statement hanging on an office wall. Even business owners with established companies have mentioned to me the fact that they do not have a vision, nor do they know what all the fuss around having one is about.

 Please know this: you always have a vision, whether you are aware of it or not.

 The fact that you get up and go to work repetitively says you have a vision. Being unaware of your vision may result in it keeping you locked in scarcity or in a place you don't want to be.

 Putting a spotlight on your vision and deliberately defining it ensures you get the results that you would like to have in life. People's ignorance is highlighted when they are encouraged to describe a vision and end up detailing the abundant rewards their vision would produce. As happy as I am that people have a desire for financial success, rewards don't define who you are or how you will acquire them.

 It is the comfort zone that is the biggest enemy of the vision coach because so many people are willing to accept their windfall in life, or the lack thereof, as long as it means that they don't have to put in any extra effort than they already do. That's the fault of vision teachers who have gone before us, because they have failed to inform us of the uses and benefits of having a clear, well-defined vision. People will stay where they are until they find somewhere better to go.

 Well, I would like to help change the general mindset towards vision. To help facilitate the transition from no awareness to consciously pursuing vision, listed below are some of the benefits of having a clear and intentional vision:

 

1.       Focused efforts achieve results quicker

It is easier to get a sharp knife to pierce the tough skin of a watermelon than to use a soccer ball to do the same thing. 

A drill has a sharp point to focus efforts and energy into one small area, and we all know how well that works. 

The same is true about achieving success – it is quicker and more efficient to focus our time, energy and resources on achieving a singular goal than spreading our resources thinly trying to achieve multiple goals all over the place. 

A vision is a spotlight that highlights a singular outcome to ensure focus, clarity and maximum results.  

 

2.       Vision shapes a clear strategy

"I am afraid of the unknown." That statement clearly reveals the speaker has no vision and has not planned for tomorrow. Why do I say that? A vision, with a specific destination, creates courage to face tomorrow and offers a definite plan to achieve it. 

Why should you have a vision? Because it will point to the path you should follow and offer courage to face the unknown.

 

3.       Vision defines priorities

How often have you seen business owners, managers or employees running around the company like a headless chicken, not knowing what they should do next, unaware of the priorities of their tasks? Without vision, all tasks are equal. 

It is once you compare the task to a healthy vision that its weight, priority or importance becomes clear, and you will know how much time, effort and resources should be dedicated to that task.

 

4.       Vision aligns activities, people, resources and outcomes

Alignment means that all the working parts are pointed in the same direction, all working to achieve the same outcome. You have to agree that sounds like a recipe for success. The only way to effectively measure the alignment of all the working parts is by using the best alignment measuring tool available – VISION. 

Comparing the output of your people, resources and processes to the desired outcome of the vision will offer you a foolproof way to evaluate your success. If they are not aligned, fix it. If they are, success is predictable.   

 

5.       Vision creates culture and brand

Leaders and managers who try to influence their brand and company culture without a clear vision are fishing without rods, hooks or bait! The core of company culture is the vision. 

The secret to changing the company culture is also vision. 

You probably already knew that, but did you know that culture and brand are the two sides of the same coin?

Imagine a glass window of the business's shop front with the logo painted onto it. Brand is what customers see from the outside, looking in. 

Culture is what the employees see from the inside, looking out. Vision is the glass window on which the logo is displayed. 

 

6.       Vision empowers people and endorses their efforts

Empowerment means that people are equipped to do the job successfully, and they are paid according to the success they achieve. The evaluation of the empowerment, and indeed the endorsement of their qualification and results, can only be calculated through the vision.

 

7.       Vision creates momentum

Stagnant operations or reaching the proverbial glass ceiling are symptoms of having no vision within the organisation.

An articulated and documented vision offers guidance to create movement within a business or project. There will be times when your progress may be small, and that is acceptable. You don't want your organisation to lose all energy to the point that everything stands still.  Momentum is to vision what air is to people; it keeps us alive. Without momentum, your business, project or idea will die.

 

8.       Vision creates a sphere of influence

This point needs some qualification: when you actively pursue the mastery within your vision, you develop a reputation at the same time. The quality of that reputation will make or break your personal and business sphere of influence. Once the vision flows in a constant momentum, and people recognise you for your outcomes, you will be in a beautiful position to start influencing the industry, none of which is possible without a vision.

 

9.       Vision is the source of inspiration and motivation

Everyone gets tired and weary at some point, even the most reputable leaders and public figures. What keeps heroes going? Most people are continually motivated by a simple belief in their "why." To answer the "why" question is to recognise what motivates and inspires you. You will get despondent as you make progress toward the achievement of your goal, and when you do, focus on your vision and let it remind you why you do it.

For most people, the personal reasons for why they started fade into the background of unimportance, and the value of the vision to the beneficiaries takes the lead in motivating them.   

 

10.   Vision brings change, fostering hope

Vision is the evidence of things hoped for, and hope is the force that drives change, growth, development and awareness. Because hope is an ever evolving energy, vision will never come to an end. As you achieve one outcome, so the next level of vision will become evident. This will steer growth and expansion.

 

Vision is too exciting and offers many rewards. The benefits listed in this article just scratch the surface of what vision has to offer you. Don't allow the comfort zone of the present to become the thief who robs you of your greatest asset – your potential.