Do You Need to Have Your Vision Checked?

In The 360-Degree Leader, John Maxwell shares the concept of the Vision Challenge. The Vision Challenge arises when leaders find championing a vision more difficult because they didn’t create it. There are many reasons why this challenge might exist. You may not fully understand the vision, or perhaps you don’t completely agree with it. More than likely, the real reason you are feeling the Vision Challenge is due to a lack of clarity around your role or your team’s role in achieving the vision.

Why Vision Clarity Matters

Vision clarity is critical to driving the success of any organization. When leaders and teams don’t have a clear understanding of the vision, it can result in confusion, misalignment, and ultimately, failure to meet goals. On the other hand, when everyone knows what they are working towards, it fuels motivation and helps align individual contributions with the broader organizational goals. As a leader, it’s essential to communicate the vision clearly and consistently, so your team understands its significance and their role in it.

In the absence of clarity, teams may also struggle with prioritization, investing time in activities that don’t move the needle forward on the vision. This is why championing a vision—especially one you didn’t create—requires strategic communication and adaptation on the part of the leader.

3 Tips for Championing a Vision You Didn’t Create

Assuming you know the vision for your organization, there are ways to make promoting and communicating the vision easier, even though you didn’t have a voice in creating it.

1. Adapt to the Vision: Do you and your team know how your work contributes to the company’s vision? One of the most important things a leader can do regarding the organizational vision is ensure that your department knows its role in the vision and why what they do matters. When each person understands how their work fits into the bigger picture, it becomes easier to stay motivated and focused.
2. Champion the Vision: The only way the vision can be accomplished is through the efforts of many people. Strong leaders take the vision from “me” to “we.” You become a champion of the vision when you put the organization’s needs ahead of your own and keep the vision visible to the people on your team. You also increase your ability to champion the vision when everyone on your team knows their role in accomplishing the vision.
3. Add Value to the Vision: You go beyond simply championing the vision when you intentionally look for ways to add value to the vision. Leaders add value to the vision when they look for specific ways to apply it to their department. Leaders can also add value by finding ways to focus the vision, making it more real for all involved.

The Benefits of Vision Alignment

When everyone on your team understands the vision and their role in fulfilling it, several things happen:

• Eyes and ears are open to new possibilities that align with the vision
• You increase your ability to separate the good things you could be doing from the great things you should be doing
• You improve execution, helping the team stay focused on things that really matter

Moreover, aligned vision creates stronger team cohesion and reduces internal conflicts that stem from misaligned goals. As a result, teams become more proactive and innovative in finding solutions that drive the organization toward its long-term objectives.

The Role of Leaders in Vision Execution

Unless you are a top leader, it can be challenging to help others fulfill their vision for the company rather than working to put your own vision in action. Attacking, ignoring, or abandoning the vision is not an option. Great leaders find ways to adapt, champion, and add value to the vision wherever they sit in the organization. The key is not just to comply but to fully engage with the vision in a way that moves the entire organization forward.

About Perry Holley

Perry Holley is a coach and facilitator with Maxwell Leadership’s Corporate Solutions Group, as well as a published author. He has a passion for developing others and seeing people grow into the leaders they were intended to become.