Francis Wade argues that vague corporate vision statements no longer inspire employees drowning in generic motivation. He offers three fixes: avoid universally true statements, embed concrete targets like diversity percentages and target years, and use backcasting from 2030 or 2048 to build a credible timeline that actually moves people.
Hello and welcome back to Chronicles from a Caribbean Cubicle Podcast. I'm Francis Wade and here's an article I wrote for the Jamaica Gleaner. It's entitled, "Why your nonspecific vision has stopped inspiring staff." We all know what it's like to be inspired by a vision of the future. It feels good, as if we're responding to a higher purpose. But why do corporate visions often fall flat? In 1991, I led a vision statement exercise for my AT&T New Jersey organization. The project took several weeks and included 2 workdays. Over 50 persons in the department were involved. After a number of activities, we, the planning team, felt quite proud of the final document. It was signed and mounted near the entrance. We were energized and wanted to do much more. Fast forward to 2023, and now I admit that the hard work we did would be insufficient today. While the creation of a vision statement was a breakthrough activity at the time, it would hardly move the needle now. Why? Things have changed. If you intend to motivate staff with a view of an inspiring future, you must use more precise tools. Here are some insights. Number 1: Follow the fool yourself rule. Thanks to Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter, and TikTok, We are flooded with inspirational memes. Perhaps your friends also send 5 to 10 quotes with a pretty background each day. Given the overwhelm, you probably aren't as easy to arouse as you used to be. In fact, no, you could be a bit jaded. This isn't a personal problem and there's nothing wrong with you. The most likely explanation: you have raised the bar. For example, statements that everyone can claim to be true don't lift you up. Case in point, quote, "Thankfully I'm near the top of my profession," unquote. Anyone can post this accolade on their timeline because it lacks specific measurements. It's vague, unclear, and falls flat. Today the same problem pervades corporate statements. Check your company's vision. If it sounds as if it's already been done, then it's failing the test. So does the AT&T department vision of old. Today, effective organizational visions prevent people from fooling themselves into thinking they have arrived. Instead, they create a useful tension because they evoke a clear gap. Number 2. Fill in the details. Today we are exposed to would-be inspirations via text, image, videos, audios, and interactive. Dynamic communicators use these elements to paint vivid pictures of their visions. In like manner, we need to create detailed pictures of the future. For example, in addition to saying a company that is diverse, we would say no more than 50% of our staff comes from any tertiary institution, at least 35% of employees originate from other CARICOM countries, no single gender dominates new hires by more than 10%, These 3 specifics raise pointed questions such as: Why are these numbers chosen? What is the target year? And what is today's baseline? They provoke a follow-up: How will we get there? In the past, company leaders could get away by saying, "Trust me!" But those days are gone. Now, a written strategic plan must bridge the gap between today and tomorrow before employees buy in. 3. Detail the steps. Use your strategic planning retreat to create a vision, give it details, and link it back to 2023 with a plan. Start with a structured high-level brainstorm to bring everyone together on the same page around your vision. You can begin with words, but make sure it has a date, such as Vision 2030 Jamaica. Then, once agreement is reached, convert the words into metrics. What will be the KPIs in the chosen year? Also, craft a list of interventions needed to move the numbers in the right direction. Finally, use a modern tool, backcasting, to connect your vision for the future with today in a single timeline. How does it work? Simply start with the future and work back towards the present. For example, if you choose a 25-year target, start in 2048 and work backwards to this year. But here's an important tip: don't try to do this exercise in a large group. Instead, handpick a small one. During its deliberations, the small team crafts a logical and feasible timeline. It should be conservative, easy to understand, and showcase a host of cause-and-effect relationships so that others can follow your logic. But above all else, it must be credible. Now, any stakeholder can be taken through the long-term strategic plan and believe in it. This is all a far cry from the vague vision statement we put up at the entrance at AT&T. That document had neither a target year nor specifics nor a means to accomplish its goals. If your company is still parading a vague vision statement in its corridors, retire it. Create a new detailed vision for a specific year that energizes staff. Thanks for listening. Do you have an unsolved problem in your Caribbean company related to strategy, productivity, engagement, or business process improvement? Just visit a searchable listing of all my prior articles and you may be able to help yourself to a fresh line of thinking. Go to blog.fwconsulting.com or see the show notes.
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