When you hear that you should “create a vision” what is the first thought that runs through your head? Does creating something like that for yourself excite you or make you feel overwhelmed? For many people that I have worked with they have said, “I have no idea where to start.” or “How can I think about something that big?”
No one says that it has to be really elaborate or that it has to be for a really long time frame. Think about some of the visions that exist for businesses. They try to keep them simple so that people will remember them. Here are a few examples:
- “A world without Alzheimer’s disease.” – Alzheimer’s Association
- “Our vision is to create a better every-day life for many people.” – IKEA
These examples are short and sweet, but you can easily see what the company is marching towards. These visions are future focused, inspirational, challenging, leveraging their values, and specific.
What if you think about that for yourself now? How do you want to show up as a leader? Write some words down that inspire you about leaders. This doesn’t have to be permanent and you get to decide if you want to change it. You want this to be something that you are continuing to work on, but that inspires you and those around you. Create the simple vision for yourself that will inspire you to reach your own definition of success.