President George H.W. Bush famously – and sometimes humorously - struggled with what he called “the vision thing,” or the need to fit numerous complex issues facing his administration into larger themes that could help people understand the top goals and purposes of his administration.
Yet it is clear that having and being able to communicate a “vision” – a central and shared understanding of purpose and goals – is key to the success of virtually any organization, whether we’re talking about a Presidential Administration, a youth soccer club or, more to the point, your entrepreneurial business. Even if yours is a one-man show, a company in which you are the only employee, your business needs a vision that is both fully understood by those (or the one) inside and those on the outside with whom it does business. The importance of getting everyone in your organization to see – and to be able to communicate – the same picture of where your business is going and how it’s going to get there cannot be overstated.
