Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Leadership, How is your communication and vision?

Vision Statement: Aspirational description of what an organization would like to achieve or accomplish in the mid-term or long-term future. It is intended to serves as a clear guide for choosing current and future courses of action. See also mission statementsource
Leadership, Communication and Vision
When in a leadership role it is vital that you have a clear, concise vision of where you are leading your people and your communication of it, is understandable. There are many ways to communicate this vision. Are you providing the vision and the proper communication to them or are your communications directing them to kayak to Japan?


Think about that for a moment. Let's say you where in California and needed to give your people directions on how to get to Tokyo for a very important meeting. Here is one way that you could communicate that to them:


Los Angeles to Tokyo


View Larger Map


1.Head northwest on W 1st St toward S Spring St0.1 mi
2.Turn right at the 2nd cross street onto N Broadway0.4 mi
3.Turn right to merge onto US-101 N toward I-110 N10.4 mi
4.Slight left at CA-170 N/Hollywood Fwy (signs for Sacramento)6.0 mi
5.Take exit 11B on the left to merge onto I-5 N toward Sacramento Passing through Oregon Entering Washington1,122 mi
6.Take exit 169 for NE 45th St0.3 mi
7.Slight left at 7th Ave NE262 ft
8.Take the 1st left onto NE 45th St0.7 mi
9.Turn left at Wallingford Ave N0.9 mi
10.Turn right at N 34th St292 ft
11.Take the 1st left onto Densmore Ave N436 ft
12.Turn right at N Northlake Way282 ft
13.Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Hawaii2,756 mi
14.Continue straight0.1 mi
15.Turn left at Kuilima Dr0.5 mi
16.Take the 3rd right onto HI-83 W12.4 mi
17.Continue straight onto HI-99 S/Kamehameha Hwy6.5 mi
18.Slight left at HI-80 S/Kamehameha Hwy Continue to follow Kamehameha Hwy2.1 mi
19.Take the ramp onto I-H-2 S8.1 mi
20.Merge onto I-H-1 E4.7 mi
21.Take exit 13B toward Halawa Hts. Stadium0.3 mi
22.Merge onto I-H-201 E4.1 mi
23.Merge onto I-H-1 E4.1 mi
24.Take exit 23 for Punahou St toward Waikiki/Manoa0.2 mi
25.Turn right at Punahou St0.1 mi
26.Take the 1st right onto S Beretania St0.1 mi
27.Take the 1st left onto Kalakaua Ave1.9 mi
28.Kayak across the Pacific Ocean Entering Japan3,879 
Now, as you can see you can communicate to your people that you want them to kayak (#13 & 28) across the Pacific ocean for a total of 6, 635 miles! (According to this site it's safe to calculate going 20 miles per day in the ocean, in a kayak.) Some quick math tells us that it would take you 332 days to make this trip, that's almost a year!

Is this really the best and most efficient way to carry out the vision or communicate it to them? The point is that if you don't give your people a clear and concise vision/"road map" to where you are leading them and communicate it well, they might end up kayaking vice taking a plane. Think about it. 

What are the results when we don't communicate or define our vision appropriately?  Please share, you'll be helping others. 

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