Casting a vision is imperative for any company or organization. It’s your roadmap. Vision casting defines who and where you are now and what you hope to accomplish. Typically done at the start of a new year or during a transition point, casting that vision sets your company culture. While a solid vision is important, there is another, even more crucial aspect: Getting your team to embrace and enact that vision.
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality. – Warren Bennis
So let’s talk about your vision. What makes a good one? Well, it depends. “Thanks, that’s very helpful,” you might be thinking, but it truly does depend on your type of organization and your goals for the future. Create a strong, authentic aspiration statement. Simply put, what are your goals? Where do you see the company, and then make your vision statement succinct and enthralling. Your vision should lay the initial framework for what is simply an idea today to become tomorrow’s reality.
While the vision is important, the cast is everything. How you communicate your goals and aspirations can determine if your vision will succeed. It’s one thing to have a vision. It’s quite another to sell it to your team so they can make it happen.
If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision pulls you. – Steve Jobs
At Inspire Agency, we use our Inspire Way to help clients better define their vision and make a communication plan to get employees excited and on board. Recently, we worked with MajorKey Technologies when they vision casted a rebrand. To cast their new vision, we created a MajorKey storyline and then illustrated the role each of their 400 colleagues would play. It ignited passion and excitement as they stepped out together under a new identity.
In addition to telling a compelling story, adding an event to a vision cast is a skillful way to get employees engaged. With a project for an engineering firm, not only did Inspire Agency create an eye-catching pitch deck and videos to share the company’s goals for the coming year, but also it was an all-out party!
The unveiling event with the theme “True North,” held at a local hotel, focused not only on where the company hoped to go, but also recognized employees individually for their hard work and personality traits that helped the company soar. These special awards generated enthusiasm for the future. As you cast a new vision, acknowledging the contributions of employees helps excite the team for what is to come.
Name your vision cast—give it theme. At Inspire Agency, we practice what we preach. In July, we gathered our team in Jackson, Wyoming for a vision casting company retreat. Our theme, “Giddy Up,” and it was incorporated everywhere and in just about everything.
We stayed at a beautiful working ranch. We focused on techniques to rope new business, to wrangle clients, and to ride side-by-side relationally. Our team also bonded over a cowboy chuckwagon dinner which included riding in a wagon train, took in stunning views of the Grand Tetons on horseback, and thrilled with a wild ride on the rapids on the Snake River. We came away excited, united, and, dare we say it, “Inspired.”
As you prepare your next vision cast, remember to make it memorable. An ordinary PowerPoint will not do. Bring your strong vision to life with engaging visuals, effective storytelling, unforgettable events, and when it is all said and done, give your team time to reflect and absorb. Inspire Agency is ready to help you cast your next vision.
