Turning Vision into Reality

" A dream becomes a personal vision when you share it with others."
RT- a former coaching client

That quote is one of many lessons learned from my clients, but it is among my favorites, because I think it expresses one of the fundamental steps in turning vision into reality. I have heard the story so many times-we have inspirations that we are afraid to share with others, even with our most trusted friends and family. Keeping these treasures to ourselves, usually out of fear that someone will laugh, deprives us of the opportunity to take the first step of transforming that dream into a reality.

A "vision statement" is the first (not the last) step along the road of bringing a dream to life. Lily Tomlin says in one of her monologues "I always wanted to be somebody, but I guess I should have been more specific"! Well, yeah! The first overt articulation of a dream destined to become a vision is probably not going to be the final draft! Just hearing it out loud may help to refine it, and certainly watching others react to your talking about your vision can provide valuable feedback about how to "tune it up". But regardless of the reaction, talking about your dream is the first step toward making it a vision.

My friend Larry James has articulated a vision for Dallas that includes affordable, workforce housing downtown. That vision has found a home in a vacant building, tax credits worth $12M and funding from the City of Dallas for nearly $2M dollars more, and needs another $10M to become a reality. Knowing Larry, this vision will become a reality. Now, certainly there are obstacles to be overcome-$10M is a LOT of money. But, without Larry's vision, even this much could NOT have happened. Just think what a crazy idea this must have seemed--cheap housing on the most expensive real estate in the city! Totally wacko. How can that possibly work?

Larry's vision demonstrates the second step of the transformation from dream to reality: confronting the reality of "I don't know how we are going to do it". No vision becomes reality without a community of believers. No vision becomes reality by efforts of one person-never happened, never will. The magic (blessing) of clearly articulated visions is that they inspire OTHERS to say, "I want to be a part of that, and I can do..." and contribute their unique talents, perspectives, insights, and efforts to making the vision come to life. It is the community of believers, inspired by the vision (now shared vision), that makes the vision a reality. That's why knowing the "how" is irrelevant; it's gathering the "who" that matters.

On a personal note, I have a vision that small groups of Christian business leaders, meeting together monthly to share their personal visions for themselves and their businesses along with their faith, can be a transformative force for good in our community. I have taken the first step by sharing that vision with others and with you now, and will actively work to gather the "who" to help take this vision from the theoretical to the practical. As Walt Disney said,

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

I do.

Vision and Success

"We are trying to win a championship" -Avery Johnson, NBA Coach of the Year, Dallas Mavericks.

While I personally tire of sports metaphors in business, sometimes the example of the impact of clear vision on organizational performance is just too good to pass up. Avery Johnson understands the importance of a clear vision in motivating an organization to peak performance. After taking over an organization with lots of talent and a history of underperforming, Johnson made a number of changes in the Maverick's approach to winning, but none more important than this one: He made winning a championship the explicit vision for the organization. Now as the Mavericks move into the second round of the playoffs after sweeping the first round for the first time in the 25 year history of the organization, the impact of that vision is becoming manifest.

In contrast, many leaders of organizations with similar levels of talent and histories of underperformance, fail to recognize the importance of a laser-like vision to the people in the organization. A focus on the successes of the past, or even a "we can do anything" approach to the future, fails to provide the kind of day to day motivation to people in the organization that they need to tolerate the frustrations of the grind of everyday work. Even more importantly, the absence of a clear vision for the organization leaves front line people with no guidance about how to make important operational decisions, and no reason to make them. As one writer put it, "If you're not going anywhere in particular, any road will take you there".

Underlying this implicit need for clarity of vision in organizations is a universal human need for meaning and purpose. We all need to feel that our efforts are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we matter, and that our work has some greater meaning than what we actually do. A clear vision provides that link from individual effort to a greater meaning and purpose. The most highly paid professional athletes are among the first to say "it's not about the money", and while these comments are often met with scepticism, if not cynicism, by many in the press and the public, I think those comments reflect a deeper truth-money matters, but not as much as purpose as a motivator to peak performance.

So my hat is off to "The General", Avery Johnson, for his recognition as coach of the year, and especially for his example as "the keeper of the vision".

Vision and Hope

Hope is a state of mind, not of the world. Hope, in this deep and powerful sense, is not the same as joy that things are going well, or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously heading for success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good. Vaclav Havel

One of the facts of modern organizational life is that change is a constant, and usually unwelcome, companion. Dr. Price Pritchett, an organizational psychologist, noted a few years ago that over the last 40 years, the pace of organizational change had accelerated from one major change or reorganization every 10 years in the 70's to more than one major and several minor organizational changes every year!

The consequence of this accelerating pace of change is that people and organizations never have a chance to "catch their breath" before the next tidal wave washes over them. The resulting fatigue and sense of helplessness demoralizes everyone in the organization but has its greatest impact on people farthest from the top of the org chart. Those near the top of the chart are either in control of the changes (to some extent) or privy to its impending onset, while those at the bottom are often taken totally by surprise. As we all know, it's the shock of being hit by the bus you didn't see that is the most traumatic.

Therefore, it is hardly surprising that executives are the most cynical about the value of an inspiring vision to people on the front lines of organizations confronting change (that's every organization). Those in control and with the opportunity for the widest perspective on the future of an organization have the least need for "something to hold on to", not in the same way that those with little control and no "big picture" perspective do. In my experience, it's the front line people who most often long for an organizational vision that they can believe in and hold on to.

The value of a shared vision is that it provides an anchor and a compass in the midst of continuous and chaotic change. An inspiring organizational vision highlights an ideal that everyone in the organization can agree is "good". That shared sense of "goodness" is the anchor that provides hope when daily organizational life is challenging. The "compass" is the sense of direction, of movement toward that shared ideal future state for the organization that allows people to believe that things will be, can be, better if all just work together.

Shared vision is like the air in the building, it does not circulate without help. Effective leadership must communicate the vision throughout the organization every day, just like the ventilation system has to run constantly to keep the air moving. Both formal and informal channels must be constantly refilled with these important messages of vision (hope) on a regular basis to keep the organizational environment from getting "stale".

Hope is the offspring of inspring vision and effective communication.