Your vision statement sucks. (And yes, it’s because of statements like this that I have no friends.) But c’mon, let’s be honest. Most vision statements suck. And if most vision statements suck, then, statistically, yours probably does too. That’s because most vision statements look something like this:
We will be the premier provider of value-added, customer-focused solutions in strategically chosen markets.
Okay, first of all, what does that even mean? And second of all—who cares? I mean really, if you were on this team, would that vision inspire you? Would you wake up every morning and think to yourself, “Wow! Today I get to go be a part of the premier provider of value-added, customer-focused solutions in strategically chosen markets!”? No. A vision statement like that inspires just one thought: “Please kill me.”
If you really want to inspire your team—if you want each member to wake up excited about where they and the team are going—then your vision statement has to pass the “cool” test.
The “cool” test is ridiculously simple, and here it is:
When you talk about your vision, do you team members think to themselves, “Cool!”?
When the Beatles were starting out, they had a very simple vision: They were going to be bigger than Elvis. Now, let’s understand the beauty of this vision. They did not say that they were going to be the “premier provider of value-added, customer-focused music in strategically chosen markets.” They said, “We’re gonna be bigger than Elvis.” If you’re in a band, which one of these makes you think to yourself, “Cool!”? (And if you said the first one, you must be in a polka band.)
John F. Kennedy said that we were going to “put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.” Now that’s cool! If you’re part of a team with that vision statement, you get to wake up every morning and think, “Wow! Today I get to help put a man on the moon!” “Cool” test? Passed!
In order for a vision to pass the “cool” test, it has to excite the emotions! “Everybody’s emotions?” you ask. First, thanks for chiming in. And second, no, not everybody’s emotions. Just the people on your team. Bill Gates’ vision for Microsoft: “A computer on every desk, and every computer running Microsoft software” would probably not have excited the Beatles. And the thought of being “bigger than Elvis” wouldn’t have meant much to a NASA scientist. But Gates’ vision excited the Microsoft team, Kennedy’s vision excited the NASA team, and the Beatles’ vision excited the Beatles.
So take another look at that dusty vision statement of yours. There’s a reason it’s dusty: nobody’s using it! It may be hanging on a wall in some lunchroom, but it’s not being used (or, to put it another—and probably more accurate—way, it’s useless). The Beatles didn’t have “Bigger than Elvis” printed up, framed, and hung in a lunchroom. They lived it. So the question is, does your team live your vision…or do they loathe it? If your vision statement passes the “cool” test, you’ll never have to wonder.
ShareJUN
2009
About the Author:
29-time Emmy Award winner and Hall of Fame keynote speaker Bill Stainton, CSP is an expert on Innovation, Creativity, and Breakthrough Thinking. He helps leaders and their teams come up with innovative solutions — on demand — to their most challenging problems.