If you use your Vision statement, it can be a powerful tool for accessing the innate innovation that your staff have, finding new service offerings and assessing new programs that come up to the Board.
So, how do you know if your Vision statement works? Because you use it. And you use it constantly and shamelessly!
A good Vision statement can be used to:
- Generate innovative ideas that support and complement your programs and strategies
- Assess the ‘Vision alignment’ with any new program presented to the Board
- Anchor Board and senior management meetings, so they are focused on what is most important to you and your stakeholders
As a leader in your organization, it might be worth paying attention to the way you engage with and utilize your Vision statement.
My experience echoes Steve’s, too often, organizations I encounter may not even have a Vision Statement and often, those that do only infrequently address their Vision statements and values.
The Vision may be updated, it may stay the same...
But in both cases, it is promptly filed away leaving everyone to get on with ‘the real’ business.
This attitude is true of many nonprofits and private organizations alike.
Highly effective Boards know that the opposite is true: your Vision should be the main driver for every Board discussion and decision.
And what’s more, your Vision should be evident in your daily practices.
How else can you say that Vision attainment is a high priority?
None if this is possible, however, if you don’t know how to use your Vision statement.
If you are not using your Vision statement or you haven’t got one, drop me a line at [email protected] and we’ll talk about steps you can take.