When you talk about planning, change, strategy, goals, values, missions and projects you need to understand what is the desired “end-game”. That becomes your vision. Getting or having a vision may seem out of reach for some as you struggle to attempt to come up with some grandiose plan, idea, product or winning formula. But do you really need to be grandiose to be effective, impactful, satisfied, profitable or even innovative? No, not at all.
I admire the brilliant imagination and creativeness of Walt Disney. I admire the courage of taking on the world, as did Mahatma Gandhi, Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy. I admire the idealistic, long-term foresight of Martin Luther King. And I admire the incredible persistence and selflessness of Sister Teresa.
However, I am not in the same stratosphere, as any of them today and likely will never attain such lofty status as the likes of each of these icons of entertainment, politics, human rights and faith in God. Every one of them not only had a vision, but each, were able to communicate that vision and get others to buy into their vision, and to follow and support them. Reagan, Kennedy and King were outstanding communicators and men who appeared larger than life in the eyes of many. I respect each for different reasons and different capabilities. President Ronald Reagan changed my view of the world, our country, and our economy more than any mortal man or woman that I have ever known. I really “got” his vision! Gandhi and Teresa were meek individuals by most accounts, but powerful, committed and incredibly effective in their efforts. I “got” their visions as well and both continue to impact my life. I am very thankful for both heroically sacrificial people.
So, in the shadows of these giants, do I have the capacity to have vision, be a vision-caster and get others to follow me? Do you have the capacity to have vision, be a vision-caster and get others to follow you? My answer to both questions is an emphatic yes! How do you accomplish that? For me, it goes back to my own simplistic approach to setting and attaining goals, re-designing process, breaking down projects and building a “walk to close” (step-by-step approach to closing a sale).
You see, I learned some years ago that if I didn’t simplify my approach, I would become confused, overwhelmed and helpless to finish the job. I have always been a strong proponent of getting to “root cause” of a situation. That isn’t always possible when dealing with super complex and unexplained situations with emotions, psychological conditions or abnormal behavior, but in most business situations we can come up with a root cause. Along that same thought process, determining the root of an inspiration will aid in the formulation of a vision, strategy and communication plan.
A sample illustration of that from my personal business career occurred in my GE Healthcare days of employment. I led the Technology Sales Group, responsible for; you guessed it – selling technology, as in computer hardware and software. I was asked to do something about the high cost of hardware to support a particular software platform that we sold. 1) I could get the hardware suppliers to give me a discount far greater than anyone else and lose money selling to me in the process. Never happen. Or, 2) I could devise a silver bullet-like process that enabled me/us to quickly and inexpensively rewrite all the software to run more efficiently and easily, and then swiftly convert the several thousand customers to that new version. If I was able to accomplish that, today I would be spring skiing in Argentina in October and golfing in New Zealand in February rather than working for a living.
Instead, I gave it some thought, determined root cause and then examined alternatives to enable us to reduce those daunting hardware costs. When I formulated a vision of what to do (simplify, standardize and reduce footprint / cost) I went to work devising a communication plan, finding people to listen, getting them to buy in, and then help me build and execute on a plan. It took a little over a year but at the end of the project we had reduced cost by up to 70 – 80% with some configurations.
It wasn’t Disney World, a tearing down of the Berlin wall, putting a man on the moon or feeding millions of hungry people in India. But it was a vision seen, communicated, followed and executed upon to achieve some measure of success. It surely wasn’t Rocket Science. And it all began with an innate desire to “figure it out”. That inner spirit provided me with the right amount of passion, push and persistence to get the job completed. I remain thankful and humbled that such an event occurred in my life. It was one of those “get in the game” situations where one thing led to another and to another until the difference from beginning to end was significant and measurable.
Anyone, with the desire to “figure it out” can do what I did . . .. and a whole lot more.