[Step 1 of 6] – Build a Compelling Vision

Pause for a minute.  If you are on site at your business take a look at your team members around you.  If you are not with your colleagues then go through in your head the people that work in your business or your team. Count up who those who you think are engaged in the business and its growth.

You may be shocked to know that on average in the UK only one out of six of those team members are actively engaged in your business.  Therefore, a disturbing five out of six are either actively disengaged or ambivalent.

In the language of researcher Gallup: “In the U.K., 17% of employees are engaged, or emotionally invested in and focused on creating value for their organisations every day. By contrast, 57% are not engaged, and 26% are actively disengaged, or emotionally disconnected from their workplaces and less likely to be productive.”

This not only impacts productivity but morale, quality of work, staff retention and, critically, customer satisfaction, re-order and market reputation.

In my last blog “Have you sprung a leak?” I asked the question “What are you tolerating?”  Are you tolerating such a pitiful level of engagement in your business?

Here is how you can increase the engagement, commitment, creativity and productivity of your team. Here is how to grow your business:

Build a Compelling Vision.

Build a compelling vision for yourself, your team and the whole business as to where you are taking the business to and why.

Clients often ask “How do I motivate my employees?” “Can you motivate my team?”.  Motivation is an inside job.  You can force someone to do something and you may get compliance but not motivation.

In contrast there are times when we are all motivated. The calibre of the people around us, the nature of the challenge, the meaningfulness of the cause or purpose, the opportunity to fulfill one or more of our own goals all help switch us on and motivate us.

I once coached a guy who was struggling to finish writing his business book.  There was always something more pressing that took his time than writing a book. I helped him build a compelling vision.  I said to him “Imagine you are walking through London Heathrow Airport on your way to catch a flight to the US.  Your book has not only been a number one best seller but you are in demand to speak at conferences all over the world.  You walk past the WH Smith store in the terminal and there is a guy that is standing just in the entrance looking at the business books and has a book in his hand; your book.  He is looking at the back of the book and the photograph of the author.

He happens to look up as you walk past and does a double take, checking the photograph on the jacket of the book against your face and rushes over to you.  He starts thanking you over and over again with a tear in his eye. Taken aback at the level of his gratitude and emotion you find out his story. He was about to buy a second copy of your book because he had given the first copy to his brother in law whose business was about to go bust and he was depressed and it was causing problems at home with this family. He was looking at the prospect of a failed business and marriage.

This guy’s brother in law had read your book, followed the advice written in your book and made the changes necessary to get his business back on track. The customer in front of you could not thank you enough for the ‘lifesaving’ impact your book had had.

By the time I had finished painting this picture for my coaching client his eyes were wide with excitement, determination and reason to complete the book.

When you build a compelling, juicy, exciting, meaningful vision in the minds of your team and everyone that works in your business you switch them on.  Paint a vivid picture in their minds of what it will look like, sound like and feel like to be working towards that vision and how amazing and fulfilling it will feel once we have achieved it together.

Therefore Step 1 in creating predictable business growth is Build A Compelling Vision.

Click here to watch me explain three key ways to build a compelling vision in your business.

This is so important that it is the first step of my six step business growth system ‘The Growth Code’ designed to get you, your team or business past the blockages that are holding you back and back into growth within 70 days.