On its surface, it may seem like nothing more than a few sentences or paragraphs that describe what you want to achieve. And, while a vision certainly does this, a collaborative vision accomplishes a whole lot more.
To think more about what a collaborative vision can do, imagine a memorable experience you’ve shared with someone else. Maybe you took a trip with a friend, shared an amazing meal with a loved one, or went to a concert with someone you cared about. If you called or texted that person today and said, “Remember that trip to the Keys,” or “Remember that restaurant,” or “Remember when we saw that band,” all of the old memories of that experience would come flooding back. Although their memories might be slightly different than yours, you’d both remember the key details, like the snorkeling excursion where you saw all the tropical fish, or the chocolate cake you shared for desert, or the fact that the musician played your favorite song as an encore. You wouldn’t have to describe any of this to your friend or loved one in detail -they’d know what you were talking about just from your initial “remember when” reference. When you’ve experienced something with another person, just a few words have the power to summon a flood of detailed memories and also the feelings those memories created.
When you create a collaborative vision for your practice, your vision functions in much the same way. Although it’s “just” a few sentences or paragraphs, when you create it together with your entire team, your vision becomes filled with meaning. A vision becomes a touchstone for all of the decisions you and your coworkers make, from the way you interact with clients, to the people you hire and how you train them, to the level of care and service you provide. Things that are moving you towards your vision should be supported and committed to, while things that are moving you away from it should not. Just like the memory of an experience you’ve shared with a friend, it only takes a second to recall your practice’s vision, remember what it means to you, and make the decision to act in a way that supports it. When everyone in your practice does this, you get a little bit closer every day to creating the workplace you want.
Ultimately, a vision isn’t about the statement itself; it’s about everyone in the company understanding how his or her role connects to that future.
