How do you create a shared vision and strategy?

To add a different perspective, understanding your ‘why’ isn’t a one-time activity. It’s a continuous journey of self-reflection and adaptation. As industries evolve, stakeholders change, and team dynamics shift, the ‘why’ may need adjustments. Regular check-ins with your mission and values ensure that your organization remains agile and relevant. It’s not just about finding your purpose but nurturing and evolving it in alignment with the changing landscape.

What would you like to be remembered for as a person or as a business? What legacy do you want to leave behind? Then determine what impact you would like to make and what problem your solution solves. That will lead you to a sounding mission and vision statement.

Your "why" isn't about telling other's who you are, it's about telling them who they can become when they work for you or buy your product. A compelling "why" is rooted in describing the world you want to live in and culture is about giving them the tools they need to create that world. It's really simple... "We exist to... (create a world that)... We're going to do that by..."

To create a shared vision and strategy, one must first define their "why." This is the compelling mission and vision that underpins an organization's existence and values. I believe that when this "why" is clear and resonates deeply with your team and stakeholders, a united and purpose-driven strategy naturally follows.

Defining your why begins with problem framing. Clearly articulate the issue at hand with a desired end state. This provides a common goal for the team to work towards

One of the common places leaders miss an opportunity to create a compelling vision involves forgetting to invite diverse perspectives. Your vision will be much more powerful when you welcome the richness of lived experiences and work histories within your team. Embrace viewpoints that may challenge the status quo, as they can lead to much more dynamic outcomes. By valuing diverse voices, you foster an environment where each team member feels heard and that their contributions matter. This collaborative approach will not just lead to a more robust vision; but it also cultivates a sense of ownership, commitment, and collective purpose that goes far beyond a typical vision statement.

The best way to engage with your team is to get together to share mission, mission and core value with them, and discuss what success looks like to the company and each individual. Developing a roadmap at the individual level allows team to understand how they can contribute to the overall success and makes that a rewarding journey.

It is essential to recognize what it is that you and your organization are already doing well, so you have a starting point for building your shared vision of the future state. Mix it up and have participants engage in storytelling of ideal future states, even artistic expression to tap into other ways of thinking. Keep the artifacts you create in the brainstorming phase as reference points for when the vision is being massaged and further defined.

Engaging with the team as part of the strategy development (not just after its been developed) is key to getting their buy in. If you are able to, do this at every stage of the process so they feel really involved and bought in.

From my experience, creating a shared vision and strategy begins with actively engaging your team. I believe that by involving them in the decision-making process, listening to their insights, and valuing their feedback, you not only foster trust but also ensure collective ownership and dedication to the vision at hand.

This is where developing a Plan of Action and Milestones becomes a metric of progress. Throughout the planning process we meet phase lines where we can assess that progress, redefine our tasking, and adjust our planning accordingly.

Its important to get the team to help you do this - so its not just a view of the management team. Yes - you will know what YOU think is going well (or not) but do you know what the team thinks is going well (or not). They may well be closer to your customers and therefore have an important perspective.

From my experience, creating a shared vision and strategy starts with defining your goals and actions. I believe in setting SMART goals that are both clear and actionable. From my perspective, an action plan provides a roadmap, ensuring everyone understands their roles, priorities, and milestones.

I think defining your goals and plan of action starts earlier in the process. However, sub-task goals are necessary as well. Breaking your goals into short, mid, and long range facilitates a crawl, walk, run approach. It allows the individual or team to build on lower echelon skillsets that form the foundation of intermediate and advanced skillsets.

Communication throughout the planning process is a key component to effective planning and execution. Remain focused on your or your team's objectives but remain aware of adjacent elements. Cross functional-area coordination among stakeholders ensures everyone is moving towards the same destination. Early in the planning process is where you would want to set follow-up meetings with due outs. Communicating in planning guidance and final directives can be done in a variety of ways but must be clear, concise, and ensure everyone understands the task and intent.

Effective communication is pivotal to disseminating a shared vision and strategy. I believe in utilizing diverse channels like meetings and videos, ensuring the message is clear and resonates with its intended audience. From my perspective, emphasizing the benefits and value not only informs but also inspires and galvanizes stakeholders.

Yes, it's important that everyone is inspired by the direction you are going...if not, then they're just going through the motions, without the passion and energy that's needed to make it work. Keep everyone informed on the journey. Give them accurate feedback as to what the results are that you are seeing. If things need to be changed, no need to hit the refresh button; you could tweak what needs to be done and assimilate the progress against the plan. But communication is the main thing.

I think this is really key - because often lots of work is done on wonderful shiny strategies - but then everyone just carries on as they are!

Wherever possible consider engaging with external stakeholders i.e. customers, suppliers as well as internal stakeholders - they can give you a great external perspective!