In last week’s post, I challenged leaders to have a clear and inspiring vision of what you want to your organization to be someday.

That’s easier said than done.

A recent trip to the eye doctor reminded me just how rare 20/20 vision is.  According to Dr. Tim Johnson of the University of Iowa, only about 35 percent of all adults have 20/20 vision without glasses, contact lenses or corrective surgery.

And according to my (admittedly unscientific) research, only about 35% of organizations have 20/20 vision as well.  Most suffer from some sort of vision disorder, such as:

• Myopia – Also known as nearsightedness or shortsightedness, is where organizations can see near-term issues, but can’t see long-term issues.  This is chronic in publically traded companies, who often focus only on “making the quarter.”
• Tunnel Vision – Where organizations can’t see anything to the sides.  Often, they get blindsided by market shifts and discontinuities.
• Illusions – Where organizations see things that are not based in reality.
• Delusions – Where organizations dogmatically hold to beliefs that are false.
• Hallucinations – Where organizations see things that simply are not there.

Job one of every executive team is to clearly articulate a vision of where the organization is going.  After all, if the executives don’t know where they are going, how can anyone follow them there?

So, if your organization is suffering from some kind of chronic vision disorder, consult a trained professional.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking.  Accelerate Your Results.

I love Jim Collins, and Good to Great is one of the best business books ever written.

Many organizations have adopted his ideas, including the “Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal” or BHAG concept. But, in most organizations, their Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal is really a “Big, Hairy, Audacious Delusional Pipe Dream.”

These are the corporate equivalent of New Year’s Resolutions – easy to set, but darn near impossible to keep.

I prefer to see organizations take a radically different approach, one that differentiates between a vision and a goal.

First, they should articulate a big and inspiring vision. Such as, “we want to be the market share leader in our segment.”

Next, they should develop one overall SMART goal. Specific, such as “grow revenues to $3.6M by 12/31/2010.” This is specific, measurable, and crystal clear. It can be easily communicated and everyone in the organization can understand how they fit in. It can be broken down into a set of intermediate goals, such as a revenue target for each month between now and 12/31/2010.

In addition, it can be tied to other metrics which are leading indicators, such as the number of new proposals submitted every month and the overall win-rate. You can align the rest of the business processes, such as the reward and recognition system, to the goal, thus reinforcing its importance.

And assuming that people in the organization feel that the goal is realistic and attainable, they will sign up to achieve it. There is nothing more de-motivating than to have your CEO set some delusional goal that everyone knows can’t be achieved.

So leaders, have a clear and inspiring vision of what you want to be someday, but set a specific and measurable goal for what you want to achieve this year.

The Shift Points blog is designed for Fast Lane leaders who want to leave their competitors in the dust.

Shift Your Thinking. Accelerate Your Results.