Creating the Inspiration -- Part 2

Time and time again, my experience has shown that the answer is no. Employees have to believe that there is a reasonable expectation of realizing your vision for the business. It's good to set a lofty target, one that requires stretching to achieve it, but it has to be reasonably within reach -- or they too will dismiss it as a pipe dream.

Lesson 3 -- Your vision should be achievable within a reasonable period of time: One of Ernie's most respected employees was a gentleman in his early fifties. His response to the vision statement was, "I'll be long gone before this happens." Ernie immediately recognized the problem. If it was going to take ten years (and likely more) to accomplish what he envisioned, not only would it mean little to his older workers, but it probably wouldn't mean much to the rest of his employees either.

Even in their personal lives, most people operate with a relatively short planning horizon. Hence, to keep them engaged, the goal has to be readily visible to them. Goals that are not reachable until well into the future lose their motivational impact. In the end Ernie created an objective for his core business that was more "visibly" within reach to his team.

There is no definitive time period that is right for all situations. In larger, more mature companies, the timeframe can often be much longer. However, with all the uncertainties of smaller companies, my experience has shown that three to five years is usually about right to maintain the motivational aspect of your vision.

We're Getting Close

If you have successfully crystallized the focus and direction of your business, and crafted a vision statement that is most ideally suited to you, then you are more than half way home. And if you've considered the factors we discuss here -- keeping the scope broad enough but not overly expansive; avoiding wishful thinking; and making the goal achievable in a timeframe people can connect with -- then you have retained the motivational impact and are well on the way to having a powerful vision statement.

In the last of this three part series we will explore a few final considerations needed to create the ideal vision statement. We will also talk about how to get the most out of your newly crafted vision for the business. Finally, I will offer several questions for us to ponder -- questions that will serve as a litmus test in determining whether or not you have an effective vision statement for your business.