Communicating Your Business Vision: Questions to Ask Yourself

In order for people to be engaged at work they need to know where they are I going. Martin Luther King's Dream speech has inspired millions of people to vision a preferred future.

The USA democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama brilliantly inspires supporters to vision change in the country's direction.

Are you a leader who communicates a clear vision for your enterprise? You may find it enlightening to ask yourself a few honest questions.

Coming up with good answers is far less important than taking the time to ask yourself hard questions and honestly examine your strengths and weaknesses. The questions suggested are intended to spark your thinking. You may find it more interesting to come up with your own list of questions. .

Vision and Priorities

Many business leaders fail to ask themselves two important questions:

1. How frequently do I communicate a vision and the priorities for my business?
2. Would my employees, if asked, be able to articulate the vision and priorities?

It is difficult to lead people if they lack a firm grasp of where they’re heading and what’s expected of them. Unfortunately, in the rush of day-to-day activities, otherwise talented leaders fail to communicate sufficiently about the “why” of their companies. They neglect to explain their vision in an easily understood manner, not to mention the steps required of the people who are responsible for driving business.

Employees want to know where a business is heading and the areas on which they need to focus. Many managers either unintentionally under-communicate or fail to articulate specific priorities that would give meaning to their vision.

There is a disconnect between you and your team members if they cannot identify how the priorities of the big picture translate to specific, actionable steps.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• How often do I communicate a vision for my business?
• Have I identified and communicated three to five key priorities for achieving this vision?
• If asked, could my employees articulate my vision and priorities?