Visionary's Hat:
Recently a business owner responded, "everything", when asked, "what job functions do you perform in your business?" Business owners wear many hats. Throughout the day, they are continually switching hats- answering the phone, trouble-shooting personnel or equipment problems, dealing with customer needs or dissatisfactions, processing tons of paper work [accounting, payroll, government compliance], formulating purchasing decisions, making sales or providing estimates, managing operations...the list is long. "So many hats, so little time." In a survey of business owners, the hat frequently left untouched, is the visionary hat. Being the visionary for the business is seen as a pivotal role for every owner and yet few owners make reviewing their vision a priority. It falls to the last position on the list. How important is having a vision? A vision for the business points in the direction you want to go, bridges the present with the future, gives employees meaning in their work and potentiates optimum customer satisfaction. It permeates the business with purpose, sparks the creative fires and helps sustain when times are difficult. When was the last time you thought about your vision for the business? Perhaps not since the beginning, when you were dreaming about starting a business, long before it became today's reality. Do you remember the excitement and energy surrounding your dream? The energy generated from that dream propelled you forward. It propelled you to become a business owner. After the business becomes a reality, you routinely focus your attention on the day-to-day operations and rarely create an opportunity to step back from the chaos and evaluate the overall picture. In which direction is the business headed? Are the goals the same or have they changed? Are the goals and vision aligned? Is the result worth the means? If it has been a long while since you last thought about your vision, it may feel awkward wearing your visionary hat again. Find a place where you won't be interrupted, review your vision and begin asking yourself questions. Do I still have a vision for the business? Has it changed from when I first started? Do I want to modify my vision or create a new one? The formulation or redefinition of a vision is a process, frequently, a convoluted and less-than-linear process. This creative chaos starts with an idea, a dream of what you want to accomplish as a business owner. To build a framework necessary to visualize the big picture, you will need current information and knowledge relevant to your vision. Your values will play a major role in helping you decide what is important and what actions to take and your intuition will affirm that you are headed in the right direction. You know the reality of owning a business necessitates filling the gaps and doing what ever needs to be done to get products and services to the customer. It is, also, important to remove the blinders from time to time and scan the big picture. Remember your visionary hat and put it on once in a while. ©2000-present Flight Unlimited - All Rights Reserved |
