How to make your organizational vision a reality

Hello! Welcome back to Your Future, Your Work, where we explore what it takes to create a lasting positive impact, empower and inspire your team, and become the best version of yourself at work and home. Join me and take your next step toward greatness.

I’ve been a fan of Sam Jacobs for a while. Sam is the Founder and CEO of Pavilion, a community for CEO and go-to-market leaders of high-growth companies, providing peer-to-peer connections and professional development. It’s a concept built on the belief that business doesn’t have to be ruthless. When groups of brilliant people have mutual values and help one another, success follows. Sam’s book Kind Folks Finish First expands on this philosophy, and through his work with Pavilion, he has created a shared vision and rallied a community of talent that feels a strong sense of belonging. 

I think highly of Pavilion’s impact on its members, so when Sam invited me to facilitate roundtable discussions for their CEO members, I jumped at the chance. Through that experience, I’ve observed firsthand the remarkable community he has built, and wanted to share his approach to leadership with all of you. Sam is incredibly generous with his knowledge, and I am confident you’ll find it as enlightening as I do! 

Culture is the result, not the cause

When it comes to creating a strong and connected work culture, many organizations subscribe to the “if you build it, they will come” philosophy, trying to build a culture that creates a successful business. Yet perhaps they are putting the cart before the horse. Sam explains that when good practices are in place — shared vision and values — leads to an effective company culture, not the other way around. “I don't believe culture is an input, but an output of clear alignment across the organization.” 

A “good” culture isn’t necessarily “about everyone being happy or having unlimited PTO,” Jacobs describes, “It’s built around people believing the same thing about work, how they work, and work’s place in their daily lives. When employees are unclear or not in line with the vision and values that guide the organization, that’s when you can run into trouble… The most important strategy we can implement to maintain a strong company culture is to be clear about our values and our expectations for performance.” It’s something I’ve talked about before as well. In order to work together effectively (and for each individual to be satisfied in their role), you and your people need to be on the same page. 

Ask yourself: Do you and your team agree on your key priorities? What explicit conversations have you had to align on values and working norms?

Anchor your leadership in your vision 

When I asked about how his leadership has evolved, Sam told me that early on (like a lot of organizations), Pavilion was more reactive, quickly changing course when new challenges emerged. But that led to what he describes as “a sense of organizational chaos and tumult.” Now, he is less likely to deviate from Pavilion’s long-term goals, trusting that these will get them where they need to go; “I am less willing to change an organizational plan and, generally speaking, more long-term patient on sticking to a plan and process and working towards a general outcome.” Pavilion’s unified vision acts as a north star, a force that ensures that the actions that are taken are in service of their long-term goals. 

You’d be surprised how many teams I work with either don’t have a vision that goes the distance or, if they do, it’s a “set it and forget it” type. Most leaders know that they “should" have a clear plan and purpose, but when it comes to sticking to it to guide everyday decision-making, they fall short. 

“Most communities don't know why they exist or don't have a clear purpose,” Sam says. “I strongly believe we need to be working backwards from a clear long-term vision that is focused on our Members, and that focusing on our Members will inevitably result in the long-term success of the organization.”

Ask yourself: Does my team have a clear, long-term vision to guide decision-making? Am I trusting that vision, or reacting before it has the chance to be effective? 

Make space for connection 

When you’re a high-level leader, it can be difficult to stay connected with your employees, but Sam explains its integral to Pavilion’s success, “We believe people do their best work when they feel connected to each other, understand the context for what they're working on, and have clear accountable goals they can aspire to.” I couldn’t agree more. This belief runs deep at Pavilion, and Sam and his leadership team are intentional about creating touchpoints for folks to come together. “We have a series of rituals and meeting calendars to help stay connected,” he says, which includes “two weekly All Hands, an ongoing review of our financial performance, skip 1x1s with all employees, our quarterly eNPS surveys, our annual Come Together in-person retreat, regular department level offsites and meetings, and more.” 

With all the above in place, Sam says he is “more comfortable holding my team accountable to performance and results than I had been in the past.  I am more trusting of my intuition and management and more willing to say, ‘We can do better’ if I have the nagging sense that we can do better.”

To ensure a strong future for Pavilion, Sam also takes an active role in developing future leaders, creating clear expectations for each role and challenging them to grow into their next opportunity. Pavilion utilizes a career-pathing matrix, and leaders meet regularly with employees to discuss performance against their goals. “The essence is clarity, transparency, meaning, and accountability to grow into the leaders they always yearned to be,” Sam explains. 

Ask yourself: What actions do I take consistently to create meaningful connections with my people?

To quote Warren Bennis, “Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” Through their collective success and thriving culture, Sam and his team have shown how powerful a clear, long-term vision can be when it’s backed by shared values and genuine connections. 

What kind of leader do you want to be? Let’s talk about it. 

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