Why do visions not get delivered
‘Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare’.
KARACHI:
Any successful and determined individual, corporation or country must have an inspiring vision for their future coupled with clear goals which act as milestones to help track progress.
However, there are many cases where a daunting vision was created, people worked very hard to deliver them, but failed. Pakistan is a classic case in point as we have many visions prepared by knowledgeable, qualified professionals such as the Planning Commission Vision 2030, Cotton Vision 2015, Finance Ministry and Federal Bureau of Revenue vision on economic growth of Pakistan, but none of them have delivered or currently are on track to deliver.
Here comes the million dollar question which every disillusioned individual asks: “How can one make sure one’s vision gets delivered?” Dreaming up a vision is the first step towards achieving any everlasting positive change which I call “Direction Setting”, but the overall journey is very long and requires many more steps. One essential factor in setting up a vision is the person or the department which is envisioning. If the direction setting is being done by a lower cadre employee or department for an organisation or country, then it is extremely important that they get the real decision makers to agree to their vision. Being part of a corporation or a country, it is important that the board, the leadership team or the executive branch buys into the vision wholeheartedly. Else a lifetime can be spent pursuing it but nothing will be achieved.
The other most critical factor is the presence of the right culture and ethos in the entity which I call “Organisational Excellence”. If an entity, whether an individual, corporation or country, has presence of strong inspirational leadership at every level of its hierarchy, presence of trust and values in the very fibre of its culture and strong systems and processes leading to transparency, merit and strong “can do” attitude, then that entity is programmed to succeed. Without “Organisational Excellence”, a vision is powerless and is not worth the paper it is written on.
Let me explain this by an example. For any painting to be called a “masterpiece” or “work of art”, two elements need to be present. The basic outline or sketch of the painting, this I call the “Direction Setting” process. The colour and shades in the painting is what I refer to as “Organisational Excellence”. Without either, the painting will not look or feel its best and will definitely not win against competition or get to be known as a ‘masterpiece’. In the same way presence of both are critical while delivering any vision.
Once a vision is accepted by all, then it is important to identify a few select strategies from which all resource planning and financial allocation must flow. Having the right resources and funding to deliver a vision is critical. Unfortunately in many cases vision is present but the actions taken by the organisation are not in sync and hence the efforts and financial resources of the company or institution are diluted, leading to poor or no results.
Creating a vision is not a very complex and tedious process but creating and nurturing the right culture is extremely tough. The right culture cannot be created overnight and has to be nurtured, protected and developed over the years. One needs to be consistent and disciplined in one’s approach so that over time one can drive this into the character of each and every individual that works for that institution.
The writer works in the corporate sector and is active on various business forums and trade bodies.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.
Any successful and determined individual, corporation or country must have an inspiring vision for their future coupled with clear goals which act as milestones to help track progress.
However, there are many cases where a daunting vision was created, people worked very hard to deliver them, but failed. Pakistan is a classic case in point as we have many visions prepared by knowledgeable, qualified professionals such as the Planning Commission Vision 2030, Cotton Vision 2015, Finance Ministry and Federal Bureau of Revenue vision on economic growth of Pakistan, but none of them have delivered or currently are on track to deliver.
Here comes the million dollar question which every disillusioned individual asks: “How can one make sure one’s vision gets delivered?” Dreaming up a vision is the first step towards achieving any everlasting positive change which I call “Direction Setting”, but the overall journey is very long and requires many more steps. One essential factor in setting up a vision is the person or the department which is envisioning. If the direction setting is being done by a lower cadre employee or department for an organisation or country, then it is extremely important that they get the real decision makers to agree to their vision. Being part of a corporation or a country, it is important that the board, the leadership team or the executive branch buys into the vision wholeheartedly. Else a lifetime can be spent pursuing it but nothing will be achieved.
The other most critical factor is the presence of the right culture and ethos in the entity which I call “Organisational Excellence”. If an entity, whether an individual, corporation or country, has presence of strong inspirational leadership at every level of its hierarchy, presence of trust and values in the very fibre of its culture and strong systems and processes leading to transparency, merit and strong “can do” attitude, then that entity is programmed to succeed. Without “Organisational Excellence”, a vision is powerless and is not worth the paper it is written on.
Let me explain this by an example. For any painting to be called a “masterpiece” or “work of art”, two elements need to be present. The basic outline or sketch of the painting, this I call the “Direction Setting” process. The colour and shades in the painting is what I refer to as “Organisational Excellence”. Without either, the painting will not look or feel its best and will definitely not win against competition or get to be known as a ‘masterpiece’. In the same way presence of both are critical while delivering any vision.
Once a vision is accepted by all, then it is important to identify a few select strategies from which all resource planning and financial allocation must flow. Having the right resources and funding to deliver a vision is critical. Unfortunately in many cases vision is present but the actions taken by the organisation are not in sync and hence the efforts and financial resources of the company or institution are diluted, leading to poor or no results.
Creating a vision is not a very complex and tedious process but creating and nurturing the right culture is extremely tough. The right culture cannot be created overnight and has to be nurtured, protected and developed over the years. One needs to be consistent and disciplined in one’s approach so that over time one can drive this into the character of each and every individual that works for that institution.
The writer works in the corporate sector and is active on various business forums and trade bodies.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.