Communicating the Vision

Building trust is all about communication. And where vision is concerned, you have to communicate four critical things:

1. That the leaders of the company are seriously committed and engaged in achieving the vision.
2. That a plan is in place.
3. That no one is exempt from change; everyone is part of the effort.
4. That the benefits are large, and the risk of failure is shared.

One of the important themes for leaders to think about in communicating vision is that it is based on an act of will. Certain assumptions have to be made about the future. the most important thing a leader can do is to articulate the vision, explain clearly the benefits associated with it, and then contrast them to the consequences of inaction.

To lead at light speed is to galvanize people in a single, focused direction. Nothing can be a priority if everything is. To lead at light speed, you need to define what is truly important. You also need to make clear what the organization will not to do and what is not a priority. A nationwide chain of auto parts stores planned to open an average of one new store a month for two years. The CEO told his managers: “We are not considering any mergers or acquisitions. We need to devote all our energy to supporting the new stores.”

In contrast, mediocre leaders waffle on their vision. They aren’t willing to take the risk. They worry that people will disagree. They make the mistake of thinking that people will resent their taking the lead. In my experience, the opposite is the case. People respond positively to leaders who have the courage to say: “This is where we need to go and this is why.”