One of the most important responsibilities of a business or organization is making sure that you surround yourself with other individuals to share in your vision. This shared goal or aspiration will keep your team united, and ultimately it will help them support the team and you in the long run. While this may seem difficult at first, it’s possible to achieve this by keeping a few things in mind.
First, you want to start with something compelling but practical. Your vision creates something bigger than yourself, something that others can believe in and relate to. In establishing your mission, it’s easy to dream big, but it should still be grounded in reality. Be honest with yourself when you answer guiding questions like, “What are my core values, and does this company represent them well?” or “what is this organization’s primary purpose?” Think about the practical next steps to take, and then articulate those goals so that others can see it too.
The next step is to foster vision ambassadors. These are people who have more of a personal connection to your cause than most that will help to further your mission. As your business grows, you will come to learn that you can’t be in multiple places at once, so your ambassadors have the responsibility of cultivating buy-in and enthusiasm when you can’t do it yourself. In addition, they help to keep the team focused on your long-term goals. Your team of vision ambassadors can take many forms, but ultimately they will be the folks who ended up relating to and believing in what you’re doing.
If you’re starting a business or organization, you are probably aware of the barriers that exist. Something that can help to prevent problems in the future is taking the time to create a resilient and dynamic organizational structure that can respond effectively to challenges. Consider your organization’s structure and communication plans; Forbes has a list of a few more ideas for your consideration, as well. Ultimately, this is a way to keep people invested in your cause. Ideally, the environment you create is one that welcomes and responds to feedback from every level of the organization.