A recent conversation started with a typical question, "How's business?" The reply was equally typical and prefaced by a sigh, "You know (another sigh), same old / same old."
Clearly the person responding has "VCD" or "Vision Challenge Disorder." VCD happens when the vigor goes out of the company vision like air going out of a balloon. Maybe the original vision has been reached and the business is just coasting, maintaining the status quo, marching in place. The overall energy and focus of the organization has shifted from taking initiative and towards the security of sameness and "playing defense."
With no vision to focus on and no challenges to face, the staff gets frustrated. They flounder because there is no guiding direction to align their performance expectations; the business stagnates ? "You know (sigh), same old / same old." This stultifying attitude can be the beginning of the feared slippery slope ending ultimately in the demise of the business.
When VCD rears its ugly head it is time to reevaluate the company and its core foundational elements. Is the vision exciting, expansive, and energizing? If you look at the two previous sentences and yawn, your company has a VCD problem ? "you know (sigh), same old / same old."
Here is a four-step process to insure you don't let Vision Challenge Disorder enter your company.
1) See if your Vision for the company is still relevant ? if you don't have a Vision written out, that's a different, but no less important, problem.
2) Discover if your staff is aware of the Vision and if they believe it is still relevant.
3) Review your Vision, clarify it if it is indistinct, modify it as needed
4) Work on making that Vision your reality ? implement, implement, implement!
When the Vision is well articulated and integrated into weekly, monthly and yearly goals, the company will reenergize and look towards the future with enthusiasm, optimism and a renewed sense of purpose. Your clients will feel it, your competitors will fear it so dust off your Vision, polish it and enjoy your future.
Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the long-running (every Sunday since November 2001) business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his free newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com
trusted cleaning company Lake Forest ..Canada's lean leaders need to look beyond the horizon and... Read More
Twice a year, Bill Gates goes to a remote island... Read More
From time to time there seems to be a flurry... Read More
Writing a business plan is an essential part of the... Read More
Experts estimate that 90 percent of Australian businesses are overspending... Read More
How important is a vision statement to your company or... Read More
Here's a really simple way to make sure your plans... Read More
Regroup?is this a new management trend? Not a chance! Regroup... Read More
We all agree Strategic Planning is a critical part of... Read More
Note to Northwest Airlines ? It's not about fuel costsFor... Read More
This will make some people angry as hell, but it's... Read More
Before becoming a netpreneaur, I was an entrepreneur. First, I... Read More
Many very successful business owners may never have had a... Read More
A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More
Every new business owner knows that a business plan is... Read More
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More
I recently took an organizational behavior class where my professor... Read More
One Research Scientist at the Hewlett-Packard (HP) Imaging Systems laboratory... Read More
Why do so many companies languish and watch as their... Read More
One of the difficulties we face in our industrialized age... Read More
I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More
Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More
Microsoft Great Plains does wonderful ERP job for horizontal markets... Read More
Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
pet-friendly home cleaners Lincolnshire ..More than $117 billion passed hands from Internet shoppers to... Read More
Writing a business plan is not an easy endeavor, nor... Read More
The first step in starting a restaurant is proper planning.... Read More
Cassy was an employee of a nonprofit who had been... Read More
How important is a vision statement to your company or... Read More
Diversify - to make diverse, give variety, to balance, to... Read More
This will make some people angry as hell, but it's... Read More
In 1989, Sony founded its Institute of Wisdom at the... Read More
Here is an abstract thought on studying nature and the... Read More
Is there really anything as a problem? Does chaos or... Read More
American Eagle Outfitters and Wet Seal Stores have issued statements... Read More
The foundation of any business transaction is the promise of... Read More
If you've ever listened to Warren Buffett talk about investing,... Read More
Many cities have home pages on the Internet. Many of... Read More
Strategic planning is vital while starting a new business or... Read More
Here's a really simple way to make sure your plans... Read More
You know you need a business plan. You probably realize... Read More
Every new business owner knows that a business plan is... Read More
Have you ever done a SWOT analysis? No, it's not... Read More
You have heard that there is extra money on the... Read More
How often does your company make a quantum leap forward?... Read More
Part 1A few weeks ago I attended a seminar sponsored... Read More
Richard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership... Read More
Obviously, there will never be an actual water shortage since... Read More
Many business start-up kits or consultants will tell you one... Read More
Strategic Planning |