The First Leadership Responsibility in a Recession
Employees going through a recession have a very strong need for something that will renew their spirit and give them courage. They need a vision that will give them new hope and a sense of purpose and direction. Yesterday’s vision hanging on the wall will not achieve this. In a turbulent time such as this we need to ceremoniously burn these old vision statements and create a vision that is appropriate to what is happening today and what needs to happen tomorrow.
Having an inspiring business vision is a core requirement in the best of times but when there is a recession the need for a shared vision is even more critical
Employees are comi
ng to work with huge levels of anxiety and fear. They feel uncertain and insecure. They have lost confidence in their leaders and in their institutions. If we know anything about productivity it is that it is not possible for anxious and uncertain people whose minds are filled with fearful thoughts and negative pictures, to use their talents effectively, think creatively engage positively with others, be fully involved and highly productive.
When you have a vision pumping in the bloodstream of every person in your organization, you have taken the first step towards moving strongly through the recession and building a sustainable organization because inspiring dreams stimulate employees to deliver exceptional performance.
When people work without a vision they see their work as just a job. When they work with a vision they are working a dream. They feel positive about the future, their spirits are lifted, and they have chutzpah, resilience and determination to succeed. Vision-driven employees deliver high productivity because they do not ‘sweat the small stuff;’ they find creative solutions to challenges and they are prepared to take accountability for their performance.
There are seven essential requirements that will ensure that will lay a strong foundation for your company to come through this recession:
- Your leaders truly understand that a shared corporate vision is a powerful and essential business tool; and are prepared to invest time and budget in formulating, communicating and operationalizing a new and relevant vision.
- The company’s vision is crafted with a combination of left brain logic and right brain imagination. If only one side of the brain is used in the process of formulating the vision, it will be a half-brained vision.
- The vision statement that is chosen to describe the company’s vision is concise, vibrant, bold, audacious and energizing. It must make commercial sense as well as pull you in emotionally and generate excitement.
- Leadership acquires the skill of storytelling to communicate the vision and builds a story around the company’s vision. Stories are a powerful catalyst for change. Compelling, strategically focused storytelling in the corporate environment not only imparts vital information, but also creates an organization with spirit and courage.
- The vision is initially launched throughout the company in a highly engaging and memorable way. This is a powerful dream that you are communicating and it has be imparted in a powerful way to your employees.
- Leadership agrees the metrics that will signal progress towards the vision. These metrics are operationalized in all functions, divisions, departments and teams.
- There is a cohesive executive leadership team who lead with one vision, one mission and one voice.
Vision is a critical and immensely powerful business tool. When skillfully crafted and meaningfully communicated, a vision has the power to unite, align and mobilize the organization for the achievement of the business goals. In the Book of Proverbs (29:18) we read, ‘Where there is no vision the people perish. As a leader it is your responsibility to give yourself and the people who work with you something exceptional to shoot for.
To learn more about creating a new corporate vision for your company, please download my new free eBook “How to Use the Power of a Vision to Lead Your Company through the Recession. ”
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