Intro:
Teams and companies require visions. They drive the organization’s purpose and help members keep their eyes on the prize.
Sometimes companies adopt new visions and take organizations in different directions. New visions, like change, will cause panic. Thus, sharing your vision with your team requires some tact.
A vision declares the purpose and meaning of an organization. Leaders write it down and distribute the declaration to stakeholders, management, and employees to solidify it.
Some examples of company visions are:
Nordstrom: “To serve our customers better, to always be relevant in their lives, and to form lifelong relationships”
Shopify: “To make commerce better for everyone”
Whole Foods: “To nourish people and the planet.”
Company leaders know that although the statements are simple, they must talk about them with their staff and executives continually. They serve as reminders about the direction of the organization when developing new products, launching new services, and creating marketing campaigns.
In the chaos of operations, it’s easy for things to go sideways. A vision reigns in the chaos.
One way to share the declaration with individuals is as easy as handing it out in paper form or digitally. However, you can turn it into a meaningful event too.
The following are five tips for sharing your vision with your team.
1. Set the Scene
To emphasize the importance of these concise statements with your team, set the scene. For example, turn it into a trip.
Scheduling company-wide corporate travel to fun locations provides many benefits.
First, your staff receives a free trip and enjoys the amenities that come with it. They receive a break from the office environment and have opportunities to bond. At larger companies, departments rarely network with each other unless they collaborate on projects.
Therefore, this trip allows for greater team building and it puts everyone on the same page. Then, you can present your vision in a relaxed environment.
2. Create a Presentation
When sharing important organizational information, create a presentation. PowerPoint presentations remain effective or you can use a different tool such as Google Slides.
Visual elements allow executives and staff to imagine the vision. Namely, they can imagine their role in accomplishing it.
The sales team sells the declaration to customers and the marketing team develops the materials. Your backend staff contributes too.
For example, the developers behind eCommerce sites optimize the customer shopping experience. Without them, customers won’t make their purchases online. Thus, every staff member plays an important role.
3. Keep the Presentation Concise
Next, remember to keep your presentation concise. Imagine yourself giving a TED talk. In addition to keeping the presentation concise, TED Talk pros:
- Know their audience
- Stick to the bullet points
- Practice authenticity
Plus, they take questions at the end.
During the presentation, watch the body language of your audience. Ideally, they’ll give you an ovation once it’s over. However, if the new vision takes the organization in a new direction, understand why your audience will hesitate to jump aboard.
Prepare to field questions and doubts too.
4. Offer WIIFMs
Offering WIIFMs is one way to set minds at ease during your presentation. WIFFM stands for What’s in it for me? It comes from sales and has become a tactic.
Customers want to know how a product or service will benefit them. They want to understand their return on investment.
By sharing a direction for the organization, you’re asking your team to jump aboard. Therefore, they invest in it too.
If they invest in this direction, they want to know that their jobs will remain available to them. Then, they want to know if it will lead to additional income, bonuses, or perks.
While you don’t need to make untrue promises, take into account how your audience hopes to benefit from the direction, especially if it’s different.
5. Codify It
Once you’ve shared the declaration with your team, share it again and again with them.
To ensure that it thrives and becomes part of the organization’s culture, codify it. Print it on posters and hang them in shared areas such as the break room.
Bring it up during annual reviews and at major company events. Some entrepreneurs always circle back to it. If you’re that kind of leader, great. If you’re not, find other ways to keep it in the minds of your team.
Conclusion
Coming up with a company vision isn’t always easy. Once you’re ready to share it with your team, present it to them concisely. Let them know how the vision benefits them as a team member and remember to codify it into the company’s culture.
