Have you ever told your children something only to turn around a few days later and find them doing the exact opposite of what you told them?
Most parents know exactly what that feels like.
With five children, I have experienced it more times than I can count.
As parents, we learn that repeating a lesson once is rarely enough. We often have to communicate the same message over and over again before it begins to take hold. And even then, if we stop reinforcing it, the lesson often fades.
Unfortunately, many leaders forget that experience when they step into the workplace.
Because we are dealing with adults, we assume we should only have to communicate the vision once.
We spend months crafting a strategic plan. We bring in consultants. We hold meetings. We create mission and vision statements. We launch the initiative with great enthusiasm. We print posters and hang signs on the wall.
Then we assume the vision has been accepted and adopted.
The reality is usually very different.
Some people never bought into the vision in the first place. They see it as management’s latest initiative that will soon be replaced by another.
Others hear the words but become discouraged when they see little evidence that leaders are translating those words into action.
Still others become so consumed by the daily challenges of serving customers, solving problems, meeting deadlines, and putting out fires that the vision gradually fades into the background.
Over time, the excitement disappears.
The launch is forgotten.
The posters become wallpaper.
And the vision slowly dies.
That is why great leaders understand a simple truth:
Vision leaks.
If leaders do not continually communicate the vision, reinforce the vision, and demonstrate through their actions that they are committed to the vision, people eventually stop thinking about it.
Most leaders underestimate the importance of a compelling vision.
Even more underestimate the amount of communication required to embed that vision into a culture.
The organizations that get it right understand that leadership is a process of repetition.
Leaders are repeaters.
They connect daily decisions to the larger purpose.
They celebrate examples of people living the vision.
They continually explain not only what the organization is doing, but why it matters.
Over time, the vision becomes more than a slogan.
It becomes part of the culture.
The reward is significant.
People stop working for a series of disconnected tasks.
They begin working toward a meaningful destination.
They become part of a mission.
Is your vision clear today?
Does your team know what it is?
Are they engaged in pursuing it, or are they collecting a paycheck?
When was the last time you communicated the vision?
When was the last time that you demonstrated through your actions that you were on a mission?
CHALLENGE
Today, take five minutes to communicate your vision to someone you lead.
Then ask them to explain it back to you.
You may be surprised by what they heard—and what they missed.
Because vision leaks.
And leaders are responsible for continually filling the bucket.
