Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM Feb_Mar 2019 | Page 12
FROM THE BUSINESS COACH
BY MIKE HILDERBRAND, BS, MBA, CBC
ActionCOACH of Galveston
[email protected]
www.galvestonbizcoach.com
T
PART 1
Is Your Team
Not Performing Up to
Your Expectations?
he good news is that you have more control
than you might think. It could be due to a lack
of focus and clear direction from you.
Leadership begins with painting a current
picture of the future in the form of a vision.
As the owner and leader of your company, you can
determine what your business will look like years down
the road. In his book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People”, Steven Covey said, “Begin with the end in
mind”. Think about the impact that your team could have
on your company if they have an understanding of your
long term vision, are guided by its presence, and are
business that you can imagine. To be effective, you
must believe in your vision and be passionately
committed to its fulfilment.
Your vision doesn’t necessarily have to be limited to
your lifetime. For example, the vision for ActionCOACH
is: “World abundance through business re-education”.
Your vision is the overall strategic intent for your
business, reduced to one or two passion-instilling
sentences so that it is easily recalled and remains
front-of-mind with your team.
How do I communicate my vision to my team?
A vision statement should be living, meaning it
should be communicated everywhere in as many
creative formats as possible. Imagine every member
of your team stating your vision accurately and
immediately upon being asked!
When hiring, one of the selection criteria should be
how willing the candidate is to identify with your vision.
As the owner of the vision, be constantly looking for
innovative ways and opportunities to communicate it.
As you do, your team members will follow suit.
energized by drawing from your passion!
By now you might be asking: how do I communicate
my vision so that my team embraces it, is energized by it,
and becomes more effective? Three steps:
1) Write a vision statement about that which you are
passionate;
2) Creatively and frequently communicate that vision to
your team; and
3) Always use that vision statement as a decision making
filter and require it of your team. Of what practical benefit is a vision statement?
When used properly, your vision statement can
become the basis of your overall business strategy
and decision-making process. Your business plan
should spring from your vision. Your quarterly and
annual plans should align with your vision. Every
decision that is made in your business should be
congruent with your vision. Your team should be
in the habit of cross-checking their decisions and
actions with your vision.
So many success stories have evolved from one
person’s passionate commitment to a vision and
enlisting others to carry it out! A lack of vision
and focused priorities is one of the reasons why
businesses fail. Low team morale, absenteeism and
resignations may be signs that the leader must clarify
the vision and set priorities aligned with that vision.
What is a vision statement?
A vision statement is the longest term goal for your Next month in Part 2 we will discuss the importance
of a mission.
10
MOMENTUM