Are you aware of the vision that inspires your business or organization? Have you grasped it and made it part of what you do? Have you reflected on how you contribute to it?
Very often, a business’s vision statement is a text that is more or less clear, more or less meaningful, more or less inspiring. The difficulties with such statements are manifold. First, every word can be interpreted in different ways and, when translated into other languages, the terms chosen may not convey the meaning originally intended; second, when a vision statement is being designed and formulated, there may be disagreement over a particular term and it may be difficult to arrive at a compromise.
Furthermore, very often there is a disconnect between the business’s vision and the daily reality on the ground. The greatest difficulty is to roll out the vision in actual practice so that all co-workers in the company or organization can own it and make a concrete contribution to it, so that step by step it translates into reality.
To remedy this, one solution is to produce a diagram. Ideally, the vision should be represented by a diagram that is explained by storytelling.
Based on the corporate vision and mission, principles of behaviour and conduct are defined in relation to the business’s values so as to indicate the way in which the vision can be unfolded and realized.
The strategic pathways are broken down into goals (Objectives) and intermediate stages (Key Results).
Finally, an annual check of the vision needs to be planned. What does this mean in practice?
Imagine this: it’s a sunny day and you’re sitting round a table with your team, ready to plan out the route to a promising future for your business.
Together you reflect on four key questions:
- Who are our customers (current and future)?
- How do we wish to be perceived by our customers and what impact do we want to have?
- How do we want to work as a team and what is important for us?
- What trends and developments are influencing and are likely to influence our future and our work?
Taking the answers to these questions as a basis, you get out pencils and paper and begin to sketch out a picture of what you want to realize. You tell an engaging story about the direction you want to take, with inspiring details of the goals you are striving towards.
You can work in groups, then combine the various ideas, diagrams and pictures, and produce a story that is collaborative and shared by all. With this end in view, each person emphasizes what they see as the positive aspects of the different pictures and ideas.
The resulting vision will become the compass your business steers by. It represents the ideal picture of the future you are seeking to create, taking into account your aspirations, values and your position in the market. It will inspire and motivate your team in mobilizing to achieve this shared objective.
To give life to this vision, you will also need to write a clear mission statement that sets out the essential role and raison d’être of your business in wider society. This statement will explain why you exist as an organization.
But be advised that, if your vision is to become reality, it is important to define behavioural principles and a code of conduct that are aligned to your corporate values. These principles serve as a guide for your team’s actions and decisions and are integrated in your business culture. They reinforce coherence and alignment with your vision and mission, and foster a positive, ethics-based working environment.
To set a clear direction for your business, you will also need to identify the strategic pathways leading to the realization of your vision. You will have to break them down into specific, measurable objectives, and monitor them using an OKR framework. The OKRs will help you to define the key results you wish to achieve, as well as the intermediate steps along the way. They will enable your team to remain focused on the priorities and to measure the progress they have made towards achieving the vision.
Finally, you know that monitoring and assessment are essential to ensure that your business is on the right track. You will therefore need to plan an annual check of your vision, during which you evaluate the results obtained against the set objectives, adjust your plan as necessary and strengthen your commitment to achieving it. To enhance the agility of your business, you can also – if needed – adapt some of your behavioural principles and thus re-frame your plan, giving it new points of emphasis. The values of your business remain unchanged, but behavioural principles can evolve.
So this is how you can use storytelling to give life to your corporate vision: by connecting it to your mission, your behavioural principles, your strategic pathways and your OKRs, at the same time planning an annual check to ensure that you are on track to realizing it. With this holistic approach, you will be ready to steer your business towards a prosperous future that aligns with your aspirations.
The OKR approach
Putting in place an Objectives and Key Results (OKR) approach is an effective way of bringing the efforts of your team into line with the key objectives of your business. Here are a few steps you can take to get started:
- Set clear objectives: begin by defining your strategic objectives, which should be aligned with the vision and mission statement of your business. These objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (SMART). They represent the overall results you wish to achieve and should be inspiring and motivating for your team.
- Identify the key results: for each objective, identify concrete measurements that will enable you to determine whether or not you have achieved the objective concerned. These will serve as points of reference for assessing the progress made.
Three key results are commonly defined for each objective. The important thing is to keep things simple and effective, while deploying enough measurements to ensure relevance.
The right number is generally between two and five. - Communicate and share your OKRs: once you have defined your OKRs, make sure you communicate them clearly to the whole team. Share them transparently and explain why they are important for the business. Make sure that every member of the team understands their role in achieving the OKRs and how they contribute to the overall vision of the business.
- Monitor progress: put in place a system for measuring the progress made in achieving the OKRs. This can include project management tools, dashboards, follow-up meetings and other appropriate methods for monitoring the key results. Make sure the OKRs remain visible and that they are regularly updated and so can be monitored in real time.
- Adapt and adjust: regularly evaluate the progress made in achieving the OKRs and adjust if necessary. If you find you are deviating from the planned trajectory, take measures to correct your aim and realign your efforts. Be agile and adaptable to ensure that your OKRs continue to be relevant and effective throughout the process. It is advisable to work in short cycles (three, six, nine and twelve months).
- Celebrate your successes: celebrate your successes and the progress made. Acknowledging and rewarding the team’s achievements reinforces motivation and commitment to the set goals.
By introducing an OKR approach, you will create a clear and coherent framework to guide the work of your team and make progress in realizing the vision for your business. With OKRs, you can steer your team’s results towards a shared objective.To maximize the effectiveness of this approach, it is important to pay due attention to transparent communication, regular monitoring and appropriate adjustments.
