Effective Vision

By: Duke Rohe  drohe@att.net

Vision evolves out of a worker’s need for common direction.   Therefore it needs to have a sense of clarity, destiny and passion all in one.  This is a tool is a list of consideration to calibrate your vision statement.

First – Must be easily communicated

• When everyone in the department reads it, is the picture evoked of the vision coherent?
• Is the terminology clear to all members of the department?
• How easy would it be to describe someone outside the department?
• Can departmental actions be aligned to this vision?
• Is the statement worth memorizing in the head to get it to the heart?

Second – Must make strategic sense of where the department needs to be

• Do you get a sense of the departmental change strategy from the statement?
• Is it a stretch or challenge from the vision you work with today?
• Is it 80% achievable in two years?
• Is it close to reality?
• Does it infer the objectives or opportunities?

Third – Leadership must believe in the vision

• Does the statement evoke a passion to make it a reality?
• Does it make your department a place where you would want to work?
• Does the statement require great leadership to make it happen?

Four – Must be a source of inspiration for others.

• Does the vision inspire?
• Would you be more willing to work at a place that had this as a vision than where you work today?
• If you read the statement to your mother, would she say “I’m proud of you dear”?