Got a clear vision? Tips from Mack Brown, Disney, Isenhour, JFK & Steinbacher
By: Jan BolickNote: This article is for you if you want to be a better manager and/or boost productivity and morale so that you can get 2 goal without quite so many nightmares.
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Sometimes it’s fun to wander and explore with no schedules and assignments.
Then – there are times we must “get ‘er done”!
But – “‘er” – what is that?
If you aren’t clear on that, you and each of your teammates is likely to be like one of those pin balls – ding ding bada dingadingding – all over the place.
Or the complete opposite – ball still in the socket – shooter pulled back – waiting waiting waiting to get into the game.
The more important it is for you to “get ‘er done”, the more important it is for you to be clear about your vision. And that usually that requires you to make some choices.
During a Business Class interview, we asked Greg Isenhour, who was President of The North Carolina Home Builders Association at the time, what he believed set the more successful builders apart. His quick, succinct answer was, “Vision.”
Greg said that in the building business that means deciding things like how many homes do you want to build in a year’s time. Two or one hundred? What niches do you want to fill? Entry level houses or custom houses? Determining vision is painting a picture of what you want your business to look like and then setting goals that enable you to achieve that vision.
Without this, Greg said, “companies struggle, stay stagnant and could eventually end up not being around.”
An important foundation for the building business and any business – determining a vision of what the company is and will be.
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A vision is a dream. A picture of what you want something to be like, feel like. If you want others to join you in the pursuit of this vision, it’s imperative that you share it with them clearly. Otherwise – well – remember Connie whose vision was missing in action?
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When sharing a vision - short and sweet is good. Easier for you to share. Easier for all to latch onto. Easier to remember and repeat.
Disney’s vision: We create happiness.
In the 1960’s – John F. Kennedy shared a vision for NASA. Clear and concise. Everyone rallied around it. Anyone in the hallways of NASA who was stopped and asked why he or she was there, had the same answer—to send a man to the moon and bring him home before the decade was over. There was no doubt. Everyone was headed to the moon.
Rick Steinbacher, who played football for Carolina said that head coach Mack Brown did a great job of sharing a vision. He was positive about everything. He referred to them as a top 10 team. Even though they were actually on the other end of that scale, he said it was important for them to ACT like they were a top 10 team. And by the time Rick graduated, Carolina WAS a top 10 team.
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A vision can be whatever you want.
It can be about personal or professional life. It can be big or small, short term or long term. You can have more than one.
You can have a vision for:
- what you want today to be like.
- what you want your office to look like.
- what you want your family relationships to be like.
- how you want your clients to feel when they do business with you.
Whatever you want.
Just clear up any blur. It will be easier to get there and easier to know when you do.
Note: If you aren’t sure how to do this and would like help with it, take a look at our coaching programs and team retreats. Then contact us and we’ll talk about the possibilities.
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
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[...] When a you can paint a picture – either literally or figuratively – and share it with passion, there will most likely be a sense of joy and relief for you AND those you lead. Mainly because you all get to escape that maddening pin ball wizard. [...]