Vision Getting Dim?

A recent conversation started with a typical question, "How's business?" The reply was equally typical and prefaced by a sigh, "You know (another sigh), same old / same old."

Clearly the person responding has "VCD" or "Vision Challenge Disorder." VCD happens when the vigor goes out of the company vision like air going out of a balloon. Maybe the original vision has been reached and the business is just coasting, maintaining the status quo, marching in place. The overall energy and focus of the organization has shifted from taking initiative and towards the security of sameness and "playing defense."

With no vision to focus on and no challenges to face, the staff gets frustrated. They flounder because there is no guiding direction to align their performance expectations; the business stagnates - "You know (sigh), same old / same old." This stultifying attitude can be the beginning of the feared slippery slope ending ultimately in the demise of the business.

When VCD rears its ugly head it is time to reevaluate the company and its core foundational elements. Is the vision exciting, expansive, and energizing? If you look at the two previous sentences and yawn, your company has a VCD problem - "you know (sigh), same old / same old."

Here is a four-step process to insure you don't let Vision Challenge Disorder enter your company.

1) See if your Vision for the company is still relevant - if you don't have a Vision written out, that's a different, but no less important, problem.

2) Discover if your staff is aware of the Vision and if they believe it is still relevant.

3) Review your Vision, clarify it if it is indistinct, modify it as needed

4) Work on making that Vision your reality - implement, implement, implement!

When the Vision is well articulated and integrated into weekly, monthly and yearly goals, the company will reenergize and look towards the future with enthusiasm, optimism and a renewed sense of purpose. Your clients will feel it, your competitors will fear it so dust off your Vision, polish it and enjoy your future.

Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at larrygaller.com