Does vision still play a key role for organizations in today’s ever-changing world? That the basis of my conversation with best-selling author and former executive Jesse Lyn Stoner in this episode of my leadership podcast show, “Leadership Biz Cafe”.
Jesse Lyn Stoner is a business consultant, former executive, and bestselling author. For over 30 years, she has worked with leaders in hundreds of organizations including Honda, Pfizer, Marriott, Edelman Public Relations, Yale University, and SAP.
In this episode, we discuss some of the ideas she shares about vision in the international bestseller she co-authored with Ken Blanchard, “Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision In Your Work and Your Life”.
Over the course of our conversation, Jesse and I discuss:
- Why creating a vision remains a critical tool for organizations to navigate the growing competitive market.
- The key elements necessary for creating an effective vision statement.
- Why organizations need to not only establish, but rank in importance, the values that define their internal culture.
- Why leaders need to present their vision in terms of what their employees will gain as opposed to focusing on what they have to give up from implementing this plan.
- How leaders should go about creating a vision to encourage their employees to embrace it and make it their own.
- What leaders can do to ensure their vision remains relevant in the face of continual change and increasing global competitiveness.
The insights Jesse shared during our conversation illustrate that vision is more relevant than ever and the fact that we continued our discussion about vision long after we finished taping this episode was a clear indication to both of us that this is a topic that deserves another look.
Also, as I mentioned at the end of the show, I’d love to hear what you think about this episode, as well as what other topics you’d be interested in hearing more about in upcoming episodes of my show. You can share your thoughts/ideas by leaving a comment below or by filling out the contact form on my website.
I’d appreciate it if you could help support future episodes of this leadership podcast by taking a moment to rate my show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or your preferred streaming platform.
Noteworthy links:
- Buy Jesse Lyn Stoner’s book “Full Steam Ahead: Unleash the Power of Vision In Your Work and Your Life” on Amazon.com (or Amazon.ca for Canadian readers).
- Check out her blog at SeapointCenter.com to read more of her insights on leadership and vision.
Thanks a lot for sharing this information. It was really very interesting to listen not only to the simple explanation, but also to listen to the examples that were given by Jesse.
Thanks Jeanie; I'm glad you enjoyed this interview and the insights Jesse shared on vision. I'm looking forward to having her appear on the show again so we can discuss in greater detail the concept of vision and its application in today's business world.
So glad you found it helpful, Jeanie. Thanks so much for taking the time to let us know.
I really enjoyed listening! this was very helpful for me. Thanks so much for sharing this and I hope to get more helpful information from here. 🙂
My pleasure, Terry. I'm glad you enjoyed this interview with Jesse. Looking forward to bringing more guests like her who have a valuable message and keen insights to share with others.
I'm glad I listened to the interview. Nice points. 🙂
Thanks Jorge; I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Hi Tanveer and Jessy. It has been a pleasure for me to listen to this podcast. As a management consultant in strategic planning for so many years, I can only agree with the content.
There is one thing I am asking to my customers is the following. Sometimes, the vision is a little bit floue, but easy to see as a picture. The best way I found easy for them to better describe their vision is to ask them to define few measurable indicators (3 to maximum 5) that will say if they reached it or not.
It is very important for Executives to understand that the vision is for a very long term to be reached, I would say 5 to 10 years depending on the external environment. y example, I worked with a Psychiatric Hospital in 2000 to support them in their strategic planning exercise. Their main goal was to become an recongnized Institute according to the law here and according to the clinical criteria from peers. There was a lot of constraints on the external environment to get there. But they focused all their main objectives during 10 years towards this vision.
And finally, 10 years later, they received this recognition. It was a long run but they never gave up. By defining those indicators, they were more able to share their vision and put together the proper strategic objectives to reach it.
Thanks a lot for this sharing
Martine @strategiclead
Hi Martine,
I do something similar to you – I ask them to define 3 to 5 measurables that would indicate they are fulfilling their purpose and living their values on a day-by-day basis. The challenge is to make sure they identify a true vision and not just long-term objectives. The difference? As you revisit your vision regularly, the closer you get to it, the more clearly you see what needs to occur next. A true vision gives clear indicators for what the next steps should be. The measurables change, but the essence of the vision does not.
Thanks so much for helpful comments that give concrete examples and further illuminate this important concept.
Thanks Martine for sharing your personal experience with this. Certainly, the big challenge with vision is how to articulate it so that it serves to guide your organization over the long term and yet, at the same time, allows you to come up with some definable goals/objectives that will not only show you are on track, but that the vision you have in mind for your organization is sound and beneficial one. I appreciate your insights on how you address this with your clients.
Thanks again, Martine, for adding your insights to this discussion.