Thursday, November 29, 2007

You Need One Special Kind of a Vision to Motivate

by Hans Bool

The expedition to setup up a vision is needed to motivate your organization. “I have a dream,” is often taken as an example when discussing the importance of a (business) vision.
A vision should motivate.
And you need to walk your talk.
The first step is the most difficult. Not for those who are easily motivated by dreams, pictures and other “harmless” material.
But how would you motivate someone who doesn’t “see” the first step. It is this first step that could define the direction of the next ones.
The dilemma resides in the fact that with the big picture there is no first step yet. Drawing an ideal picture could present a big gap between here and there. And to bridge this gap, you need a complex construction. You need a project, you need resources, you need money, time, engineers and other technical experts you are not familiar with. Before you know it, the little energy you had accumulated fades away.
Is there a way to focus on the first step, and closing the curtain for all that is to come, like the clutter behind the doors of an untidy closet?
There is a way to focus on the first step.
A vision is not only about having people imagine the oasis in the dessert. Not only about the paradise on earth.
You also need a vision to show people to walk. Avoid presenting static decors about where you want to be. Concentrate on the concept of Time; your friend or enemy. Show and express that Time will leave you when you should decide to stay.

No comments: