The Power of Vision and The Business of Dreams
Did you every wonder if man would have reached the moon if we did not see it? Could an athlete win a race if they could not see or imagine the finish line? Could a mountain climber reach the top of the summit if he/she never actually saw it? What do they all have in common? - A goal, vision, target, an image that inspires and exites them into action. Children have an amazing ability to dream and make it reality. Why do you think they can get so scared at night? - They can make all those monsters real and have them standing at the bottom of the bed, each one taller and scarier than the next. If a child dreams of being a pilot, within 5 minutes, the hall is the runway, the washing machine is the radar, the dog has received his pilots license, and all the teddies are going on holidays. As we get older, that ability to dream and be creative is diminished. Education and business tells us, “Don’t be wrong”, “Don’t take a chance”. If you are not willing to take a chance, you will never be creative; you will never come up with any imaginative ideas. For this reason it is very important that we spend time dreaming, imagining, thinking about what we want in the future. As a business, where do we want to be in 5 years, 10 years time? Defining a vision for an organisation is essential. A vision statement is a vivid idealized description of a desired outcome that inspires, energizes and helps you create a mental picture of your target. Any business with one or more employees should have a vision. If you have more than one employee then it is essential to communicate, share, and agree that vision. Otherwise you might end up being a great mountain climber but climbing a different mountain to your colleagues. Focus on what you want to achieve, not what you want to avoid. Try this for a second, think about not being fat. What image is in your head? I bet it is an image of you being fat! Think about being thin, what image is in your head? Is it different? The vision has to be what you want to move towards, not away from. Vision is not just about seeing. The vision of a chef is possibly an aroma or taste. Ghandi’s vision was a feeling, one of peace and equality. A musician’s vision is that perfect sound. What’s important is your ability to describe what you want. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it sound like? What does it smell, taste like? How do I measure it? How would I know it when I am there? Many businesses say they have a vision because they have the slogan; Best in the eyes of the world, Excellence in Vision; We have you Covered; One with You, Just do it, etc. You need to immerse yourself and the organisation into that vision. Get them to stand in their organisation 5 years from now and see, feel, hear, sense what success is like. Get them to see what they are doing now, in the future. Get them to understand what is different from today. Get them to experience it. There is a huge difference in looking at a photo of Mount Everest and listening to a mountaineer to has just come back from the summit. I had the privilege of listening to Pat Falvey recently talk about his adventures to Everest. At the end of the talk, I was there on the mountain with him. I was getting cold in the room, I could see the shapes of the clouds pass over the mountains, I could feel the snow under my feet. I would highly recommend going along to any of Pat’s talks. Check out www.patfalvey.com.
Once you define your dream/vision you must define milestones to get there. A plan is a dream with deadlines. Everything you do must connect to the vision. The strategies you undertake, the activities you do, the people you hire and work with, the way you behave, what you value, what you say, They all need to be congruent with the vision.
To help create a vision for your organisation contact Finbarr at email - finbarr@businessexcellence.ie,
phone - 086 3875958, skype - finbarr.sheehy
Clare O'Leary and Pat Falvey celebrate
on the summit of Mount Everest
“When we are dreaming alone it is only a dream. When we are dreaming with others, it is the beginning of reality”
People say, “Encourage our children to dream” Rubbish! “Encourage our Adults to Dream”