Why do I need a vision for the business?

Dear Aunty B,

My problem is I run a very pedestrian business in the pharmaceutical industry and we don’t have a vision as such.

We are currently rebranding our company with a new look and feel, and personally I think a vision is nonsense, as we know very clearly what we do and why.

Can you tell me why I need a vision and why that is different to what we already have, which is a strong sense of purpose and direction and we clearly know our position in the marketplace.

Leo,

Townsville

Dear Leo,

It’s Christmas. Why can’t you ask something easy like how to get staff to clean the kitchen? Why do I have to talk vision just as I want to lie down on a salt-stiff towel on hot sand, close my tired eyes and drift off to the delightful sounds of the beach orchestra? But here I am, explaining to you the bleeding obvious.

Okay, look at it this way. Every day we wake up and know that we live on a fast spinning rock that is hurtling through space for no apparent reason. That’s a tad unsettling. So us rock dwellers cling fast and distract ourselves so we don’t dwell on the rock/space thingy.

In fact, it’s a favourite pastime to make up all sorts of weird explanations as to why the hell we are on the rock and how we should be spending our time on it in a way that gives things meaning. And these thoughts occupy a lot of space in people’s heads.

Now you are in the business of attracting the best rock dwellers and getting them to choose you over everyone else. A pay cheque only goes so far. A good job description, a clear career path and a company that has direction are also a good reason to get up in the morning. But if you really want to distract and attract the best you need a higher purpose. And the higher purpose speaks to this: the reason I am on the rock is to change it for the better. And here is how.

Now every single business needs this higher vision. And don’t tell me you can’t think of one. One of the most inspiring visions I have ever come across was a company that cleaned toilets at huge events. The entrepreneur that ran that used to get his staff into a frenzy of work after explaining to them that a clean venue meant the visitor had a wonderful experience, which meant their time on the rock was well spent and there could be no higher purpose in life than that.

So your higher purpose can directly relate to your business but you can also think of getting staff to do community work outside your business.

Of course, the Christmas season is a great time to reiterate your vision and focus the staff on the community.

Be smart,

Your Aunty B

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