How’s Your Vision?

Most of us go to work without really knowing why. Oh, we have to feed our families. And our company needs us to fill out TPS reports. But beyond that, the question of “Why” often never even bubbles to the surface of our conversations and thoughts.

Why does this company exist? …This department? (…This family, for that matter?)

Why is my role important?

What are we all working toward?

I consume books like chocolate, which is to say I’m ravenous and insatiable. At any one time, I’m working on three, four, five books, and I finish about one a week, maybe every two weeks if I’m extra-busy. So you can imagine, I’ve got quite a collection by now. Most of these are business books, and many are good. I tweet about the ones I enjoy, but I’ve never blogged about one until today. Full Steam Ahead is a book that deserves more than a few tweets.

Told as an engaging story (and based on real life), Full Steam Ahead lays out the steps of how one midsize company made the transition from “successful” (whatever that means) to “meaningful” – and, as you know if you’ve read my posts for any amount of time, “meaningful” leads to “thriving.”

I love the recorded greetings the owner sends his staff each morning to focus and inspire them. If you just read those, the book would be absolutely worth your time. I really, really appreciate the way the story unfolds, so that the main characters uncover the secrets of crafting a worthy vision statement as a process, rather than a laundry list. That is worth several reads for any leader interested in establishing a meaningful vision for her company or department.

One of my favorite parts of the book is the “Three Hows.” I’ve read too many vision statements and mission statements for my own good (occupational hazard!), and most of them seem like they were designed in a laboratory by a committee of white-jacketed lawyers – which is to say, they’re as bland as they are meaningless. That, my friends, is why you need this book. And to peel back the cover for just a glimpse of the treasures you have in store, here is a bit about the “Three Hows” – so named because how you create your vision statement is at least as important as the final product.

The Three Hows

1. How it’s created. Want buy-in? Make creation of the vision a collaborative effort, with the more hands on deck the better.

2. How it’s communicated. Going forward, remind people how every decision ties directly to the vision. Keep it front and center.

3. How it’s lived. As soon as it’s articulated, you must begin acting on it. People watch their leaders far more than they listen to them. (Far more!!) Live by the vision, and the vision will take life.

Of course, this post only scratches the surface of a book that truly deserves your attention. If you’re like me, you can polish it off in two days. But if you’re wise, you’ll read it slowly in order to savor it. I read most of Full Steam Ahead at lunchtime, a chapter a day, with a pen handy for taking notes.

Full Steam Ahead, second edition, by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Lyn Stoner.