VISION AND KEY PRIORITIES From Robert S Kaplans

VISION AND KEY PRIORITIES From Robert S Kaplan’s book What to Ask the Person in the Mirror

VISION Have you developed a clear vision for your business? Have you identified three to five key priorities to achieve that vision? Do you actively communicate this vision, and associated key priorities to your organisation?

WHAT IS A VISION? It’s a clear articulation of what you would like your business to be if you succeed What is your dream for this organisation? A vision should be fundamentally based on a careful analysis and identification of your distinctive competencies. What are you truely great at? How are you differentiated from the competition? Vision alone is not enough - it must be accompanied by the identification of a manageable number of key priorities.

Here are some questions to think about as you work on your vision What would you like your business to look like in 10 years time? What would you hope to say it accomplished? What are the distinctive competencies of this organisation? What would you areas and community lose if your business didn’t exist?

Our Vision is Add your vision here. . .

Establish your Key Priorities Vision is critical, but alone, it is not sufficient. You also need a specific road map. A vision must also be accompanied by a manageable number of top priorities that, if adhered to, will see you and your organisation to achieve your aspirations. Key priorities tell you and your team what tasks they must perform superbly in order to make the vision come to life. A short list of essential priorities identifies those tasks that deserve a disproportionate share of your time and focus

Some examples of Key Priorities Innovation/ Product Development Attracting, retaining, and developing the best people Customer relationships and hospitality Financial Mastery System Development and Integration

Innovation/new product development Example: We want to be superb at developing new products and services. We are willing to allocate funds, as well as a material amount of human capital, to enhance our ability to innovate. The CEO and senior leadership team are willing to make sacrifices, contribute people resources as appropriate, and communicate that this is a critical function with the company. Metrics will be developed to measure ‘success” in this area. This priority will affect decisions regarding key hires, how innovation will be organised (ie separated from, or integrated with, other functions) and how innovation will be rewarded. In addition, leadership will have to determine what kind of culture will best foster development and innovation. Also, leadership will need to determine the role of all company employees in this priority.

List your 3 - 5 Key Priorities List here

“What are the critical tasks we must do superbly if we are to achieve our vision. ” To categorise key tasks into 1’s, 2’s and 3’s The 1’s are tasks you must do superbly to succeed. 2’s need to be done, but not necessarily at an optimal level 3’s might be nice to do, but you’ll live if they slip or are not even done at all.

Communicating the Vision and Key Priorities Communication and Over Communication, is Critical As often as you communicate your vision and key priorities. . . it is almost certainly not enough to meet the needs of your people Repeat it enough times that employees start to mimic you….

Dynamism and Change Vision and Key Priorities are not static Priorities change frequently in response to specific challenges and opportunities Vision shouldn’t change with every shifting wind - it should provide continuity in different times - but eventually it too is likely to be rethought. The world changes and you must adapt to change