Creating a shared vision has been a centerpiece of the 3 Pillars of Impact and a topic throughout my blogs, talks and development sessions. 
 
The more 3 Pillars of Impact sessions I led, the more it became evident that the shared vision concept was having a tremendous impact on the attendees. What I used as a story to highlight the importance of building a successful culture, was something they wanted to hear more about. They wanted to know how they could build this within their organization. 
 
Something I had considered to be a foundation of the process was something they considered to be the outcome of the process - and something they wanted to experience first-hand. Something they needed help in implementing. 
 
The 6 Steps
So, to help these organizations and the leaders struggling to break down silos between groups and foster employee engagement, I dug deeper into the concept that I had taken for granted and introduced the 6 steps to create a shared vision.
 
Step 1: Define the Vision
The vast majority of organizations today already have an established vision statement to use as a starting point. In some cases, we will create a vision statement for the Department or Division that supports the larger vision of the entity. 
 
So, whether it already exists or is being created, we start with Top Management and peel back the onion to either confirm or uncover the why’s of the organization. We establish understanding and create alignment that the vision, as written or with adjustments, can serve as the why to connect the rest of the organization.
 
Step 2: Refine the Vision
In this step, we move away from the board room or executive lounge, and we take those Division Leaders who were at the first session with Top Management, and we had back to their areas. Each of these leaders will gather their leadership teams and key drivers so we can work together and define what the vision established in step 1 means to their teams.
 
Can we translate the high-level vision to something that will connect to the teams, unit and staff? Is the message understandable and relatable to them or is it a total miss that will leave disconnect and frustration?
 
WARNING: If your management team does not have a good feel for the staff, then you need to bring in next level people that have a better connection. This is the critical part of the process in that if it doesn’t connect with staff, then the vision will be viewed as an edict from on high and will never truly be shared.
 
Step 3: The 3 R’s (Reflect, Review, Revamp)
We reconvene the Top Management group to reflect on the initial Vision message after the discussions in Step 2. We reflect and compare “translations” that were uncovered in the Division discussions and consider the best ways to refine the vision. At this point, we should be confident that we have an understandable and uniting vision.
 
Step 4: Finalize the Vision
We head back to the Division Teams, explain the adjustments and set to work creating the messaging. This is where the introduction or roll-out plans are created and defined to make sure we have a good approach to connect the whys of the organization to the why of the teams. 
 
Step 5: Creating the Vision
This is where the magic actually happens. To me this was the easy part because I had spent time establishing and reinforcing the 3 Pillars of Impact. But for some organizations that do not have a history of empowerment and are more autocratic in nature, well this where the work really begins.
 
This is where we take the time to show how each of the teams and each of the staff members fit into the vision. The first 4 steps were about deciding what we were going to paint and then start painting the picture enough that people could see the potential. 
 
This step is not just about showing the staff where they fit into the picture but trusting them enough to hand over the paint brush and let them paint themselves into the picture. We connect their whys, show how everyone benefits, and then create ownership plans showing how their actions connect to the vision.
 
Step 6: Owning the Vision
To reinforce ownership you must build the Expect Excellence mindset and a great way to do that is through showing progress on your ownership plans.
 
We establish monthly check-in sessions with the Division Teams where we celebrate successes and understand the challenges. We make adjustments because we reinforce a culture to Be Better Today.
 
Quarterly, we meet with the Division Leadership to see if we are moving the needle in engagement levels and to assess if we are making alignment to the vision. We repeat this with Top Management to identify if there are best practices to found at certain Divisions that could be applied to others. We can reinforce or adjust our approach to connecting with staff. Because at all levels, we can Be Better Today.
 
The vision must be more than a poster on the wall or an About Us page on your website. It is the unifying force behind your culture. It’s where you connect the whys to give your staff the Vision to see Beyond Today.

This makes the 7th year that I have participated in Jon Gordon’s #OneWord challenge. It’s a process I look forward to each year - one of reflection, contemplation and aspiration.

The process is straightforward. You ask yourself three questions to create a mindset of growth:

• What do I need?
• What’s in my way?
• What needs to go?

 
Once you have your internal balance, you start reaching outwards and go through this simple prayer: What do you want to do in me and through me?
 
That question becomes a discussion that will eventually lead you to an answer.
 
I shared my emotional and powerful experience when I uncovered my first One Word in 2019, LISTEN. The majority of my One Word experiences are much more subtle but when the word comes to you, you simply know it is the word.

My One Word
This year’s One Word came to me while walking on the treadmill one morning. As I was repeating my prayer, I had words popping in and out of my mind. Certain words would bring excitement, and I would think “maybe this is…” and then just as quickly that word would leave, and another word would appear.
 
Then my One Word came forth. RESOLVE. It came with a sense of finality. It was a matter of fact and didn’t leave room for debate. The word was heavy. Instead of my mind racing, it dug deeper into the reasoning showing where it has been missing from my actions and experiences where it will be valuable going forward.
 
Confident with my choice, I then looked up the definition. (Yes, I was still on the treadmill… PSA, don’t do this at home!) Upon reading the definition, the final moment of validation had arrived.
 
Verb

1. Settle or find a solution to
2. Decide firmly on a course of action

Noun

1. Firm determination to do something

 
WHOA! That’s it!
 
It fits equally well as a verb and a noun. A reminder that there are issues I have failed to address and that in life, I need to call upon and display RESOLVE to reach my goals.
 
Validation of My One Word
Finding my One Word, took me down a rabbit hole of searching for references. I found a quote from Wayne Dyer that is so appropriate to my stage in life:
“There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love, there’s only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.”
 
My mind took me back to the previous Church service, when the passtor shared the story of Daniel refusing to break the dietary laws and eat the King’s food and drink his wine. Daniel showed resolve, despite being in a foreign land under the suppression / service of a mortal king, he showed a firm determination to carry out what he saw as alignment with God’s will.
 
Daniel demonstrated a steadfast purpose that I feel has been lacking in my own spirit.
 
Since I have crossed over my halftime of life (check out Bob Buford book titled, Halftime: Moving from Success to Significance) and have since entered the second half with Serve2Lead, I feel that I have spent more time floating with the current than traveling with a purpose. I’ve allowed circumstances to carry me along on my journey instead of traveling my own streams.
 
I recognize that not resolving my indecision has given power to my inner demons and to conquer them… to truly flourish in this second half, I must show RESOLVE today as well as Beyond Today.