What exactly is a vision? And do you need one?

Every coach will tell you that you do, so here’s how you come up with one. 

First of all, a vision should be a short statement. That’s the number one rule. 

It’s your guiding star, your long term vision for the future. It’s what you’re always aiming toward and – here’s a little secret -it has to be aspirational and also unattainable; something you can always be working towards. 

If you can achieve your vision then it’s a goal.

You should be able to describe what the world, or at least your world, will look like when you have achieved it. 

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, vision statements were ego-driven. It was always about being the biggest or the best. 

What people forget to feel into is this: are you willing to do the work needed to get there?

We know it’s great to be the best, or the most profitable but what are you capable of and willing to do?

Sometimes you need to be a bit further into your business journey to really understand the bits you like doing. 

Critically, a vision needs to be clear and simple and not what Professor Scott Galloway (aka Prof G) calls ‘yoga babble’. 

For example, Disney’s vision is to make people happy. 

If you can’t think of one defining vision right now, you can always scale back to focusing on themes. 

Give your fiscal, calendar or astrological year a theme. 

One thing that really works to galvanise people and bring them into alignment is to have a theme to focus on.  You can do this if you’re not sure on your vision. Whatever you do, don’t give your team a BS Vision – they’ll see right through it.  

When I started my agency (Klick X) our first theme was ‘Forward to Basics’ – making progress by getting the basics right. 

Vision has to come from the top and be endorsed by leadership. It cannot be created by a committee because as we all know, every decision that’s made by a committee is the dumbest decision ever. If everyone’s happy, it’s inevitably a shit idea. 

And it goes way beyond the personality of the leaders. It’s what a business must do and achieve. 

Most importantly, you have to want to do what it takes to get there.   Will you enjoy the journey toward your vision?  You’ve got to be able to feel into it and decide if that’s what you really want.