Leadership author and expert Warren Bennis states, “Every leader needs a clear mental picture of a preferred future.” Plenty of volumes have been written on the subject of vision, but my message today is a reminder for all of us to check in on the vision.

Does it provide a clear picture of where you wish to lead and take your company? Organization? Team? Department? Division? What I have found to be true is that when you declare a vision, it becomes a matter of record.

Your vision acts as your guide for the future. How do you want to reach the finish line? When do you want to reach the finish line? Being as specific as possible with your goals and timeframe will ensure you’re on track to drive your vision forward.

Equally important is for you, the leader, to put your people in the picture. They need to hear where they fit in from you (or your representative). They need to know from leadership how valuable they are to achieving this better future.
In a larger organization, I suggest the leader create a vision team. This is a 4-6 member group that systematically communicates where the organization is going, how it will get there, and why they are going there. And most importantly, it emphasizes that we can’t get there without them.

There is no guarantee you will get buy-in, but you can almost guarantee you will not get it without communicating and putting them in the picture.