That Vision Thing - Strategic Thinking for any Business

By Terry Bass

Whether you are a small business owner just starting a new business or a newly hired CEO of a major corporation, you both have something in common --- that “vision thing”.

An idea of creating or recreating a company. There is a feeling of excitement, of opportunities and possibilities, no matter how practical you may be it’s a new beginning and the sky is the limit.

So you have a vision. You see yourself down the road envisioning an organization much different than the one today. It is bigger, it is better and you are fulfilled in making it so. It is your vision, your dream, your possibility.

And then comes the work and the meetings and the setbacks and before you know it the vision is on the back burner. Your day is handling details, crisis, and all sorts of stuff that get in your way. You started out jumping out of bed full of ideas, empowered to take on the day and now it’s a bit more difficult to crawl out of bed. You may peek open an eye to see if the monster’s that you know are going to get you at work are now in your bedroom.

What happened?
Quite simply, you put the “vision thing” in the desk drawer, maybe even locked it away. You make business plans that plan on 5 – 7% growth next year. You deal with the issues of the day and the work on your desk/counter and the only satisfaction you get is if your (figurative or literal) inbox/stuff to do is at least no higher at the end of the day as when you started. .

Is that really where you want to be?
Or would you rather be excited again? Would you like to wake up the day full of possibilities? Do you wish to look at what you do, whether your own business or your own career and be proud and happy for what you do?

Well, bring back that “vision thing”. Take it out and dust it off. Or what the heck make a new one.

Your vision is where you want your business and yourself to be. Your vision is a destination, a place of where you want to go. Your vision is that sunny beach sipping margaritas or climbing in the Rockies or a whole plethora of visualizations! Your vision is what turns you on and gets you excited.

It doesn’t matter whether you have your own business or not, whether you want your own business or not. Having an idea, a dream of where you want to go creates motivation and exciting possibilities.

Obviously, taking that vision and creating a strategic plan, action steps to ensure you achieve your vision is vitally important. A wise saying first line is Vision without action is a daydream.
But take that first step; create a vision of where YOU want to be. Get excited again. And then do what you need to do to make it a reality. It’ll make the day and your life a lot more enjoyable!

Terry Bass, of CHADONS Resources is a business coach in the ChicagoLand area. He speaks, coaches and facilitates focusing on helping the individual and business succeed. If you can use help for yourself or your organization in identifying, understanding and achieving your goals, then you should contact Terry at 773-769-1992 and begin the conversation. You can also visit http://www.chadons.com to learn more.