How to: Set a vision together with your team

Benefits of setting a vision

The first step to setting a vision for your team is to understand why it's important. It can be easy to focus on the immediate tasks and forget about the larger goals, but having a vision can help keep everyone focused. Here are some of the benefits that come from setting a vision with your team:

1. Creates unity and purpose

A shared vision helps your team come together as a unit, rather than individual parts. Everyone is working towards the same goal, which can create a sense of unity and purpose in the office.

2. Keeps everyone focused

Having a clear direction will help keep everyone focused on what’s important and on track to reach the goals.

3. Enhances motivation

When everyone has a clear understanding of the direction they’re heading, it can be easier to stay motivated and engaged.

4. Improves communication

Having a shared vision helps keep conversations focused on the end goal. This encourages open dialogue and allows everyone to contribute ideas that help move the team forward.

5. Increases productivity

When everyone knows what they’re working towards, it can create a sense of urgency and help increase productivity.

6. Sets clear expectations

Having a vision in place helps set clear expectations for everyone on the team. Everyone knows what they need to do and how it contributes to the end goal.

How to set a vision with your team

Once you’ve identified why it’s important to set a vision for your team, it’s time to start coming up with one. Here are some tips on how to do that.

Step 1: Creating the first draft

When setting a vision for your team, you need to consider what the future looks like for the company. What are the long-term goals? How will your team's work contribute to these goals? It's important to be realistic and set achievable goals that everyone can buy into. Once you have a good understanding of the company's future, you can start to craft a vision for your team.

Think about what you want your team to achieve in the next year, five years, or even ten years. What impact do you want to make? How do you want to be remembered? By setting a clear and concise vision, you can help your team see the bigger picture and understand how their work fits into the company's overall mission.

Once you have a general idea, start working on the details. What are the specific goals you want to accomplish? How will your team contribute to these goals? What challenges do you anticipate along the way?

Step 2: Collect insights and input

After you have a first draft of the vision, it's time to involve your team. Share your draft with them and ask for their feedback. What do they think of the vision? Are there any points they disagree with? What insights and input do they have to offer?

Don't forget to also collect feedback from other stakeholders, such as upper management, clients, and partners. They can offer valuable perspectives that you may not have considered. Here are a few tips for sharing a draft to team members and stakeholders:

1. Be clear and concise

When you're communicating your vision to your team, it's important to be clear and concise. Trying to cram too much information into your statement will only confuse and frustrate your team members.

2. Make it inspiring

A good vision statement should be inspiring and motivating. It should make your team members want to work hard to achieve the company's goals.

3. Create a shared vision

A shared vision is one that everyone in your company can rally behind. It should be something that everyone can buy into and feel passionate about.

4. Set goals and action items together

Once you have a shared vision, you'll need to set goals and action items to help you achieve it. Work with your team to create a plan of attack and make sure everyone is on the same page.

5. Hold each other accountable

It's important to hold each other accountable to the shared vision. Check-in with your team regularly to make sure everyone is still on track and working towards the common goal.

Step 3: Putting it all together

After you've gathered input from your team and stakeholders, it's time to make any necessary revisions and write the final version of your vision statement. Keep the following tips in mind as you do so:

1. Keep it short and sweet

The best vision statements are short, sweet, and to the point.

2. Be specific

When it comes to your vision, specific is better than general. The more specific you can be, the easier it will be for your team to understand and buy into your vision.

3. Focus on the future

A good vision statement should be focused on the future. It should paint a picture of what you want to achieve and how you plan to get there.

4. Be realistic

While it's important to think big, you also need to be realistic in your vision. Trying to achieve something impossible is only going to set your team up for disappointment.

5. Write it down

Once you've got your vision statement worked out, be sure to write it down. This will help ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.

Step 4: Share your vision

Once you've got your vision statement finalized, it's time to share it with your clients and investors. This is an important step in getting buy-in and support for your vision. Presenting your company vision in a clear and concise way will help others understand what you're trying to achieve and why it's important.

Step 5: Revise whenever needed

Releasing your vision doesn't mean that the vision is set in stone – you can always revise it as needed. As your company grows and changes, you may find that your original vision no longer makes sense. In these cases, it's important to revise your vision statement to keep it relevant and inspiring.

It's also important to keep the vision alive within your company. As time goes on, people will forget what the vision is and why it's important. It's up to you to keep reminding them and keeping the vision top of mind. Use it as a guiding light for decision-making, goal-setting, and problem-solving. And keep it updated as your company grows and changes.

Things to take-away

• Your vision statement is a critical part of your company's success.
• Remember to keep your vision statement short, sweet, and specific. And be sure to revise it whenever necessary to keep it relevant.
• By taking the time to create a shared vision for your team, you can keep everyone aligned and working towards the same objectives.