What's the point?

THE PROBLEM

If you asked each of your team members today, could any one of them describe your team’s Vision? Or would they have to root around in their laptop folders, searching for a dusty document they never read in the first place?

In this “Moment of BLISS” we’ll explain why, compared to other aspects of team dynamics – structure, training, relationships, it is overall purpose which drives real performance.

Recently I attended the ANA’s In-House Agency conference - three days of inspiration and information in back-to-back sessions. Some sessions were shoot-yourself-in-the-head-with-pointed-finger dull, some were fairly interesting, and a few were electric. I noticed that the one thing the electric ones had in common was that they were presentations by the leaders of purpose-driven teams. Maya Dukes from Delta’s in-house team shared how Delta designed a “culture first” environment after discovering that the number one reason people were leaving the company was “poor culture.” Maeve Dohogne from financial gurus Edward Jones shared an energizing set of team values, each with its own branded design – from “Fuego” (we cultivate and promote creative inspiration) to “Grit” (we are all about resilience, tenacity, and perseverance). By the end of her session, everyone in the audience wanted to work for her. That kind of instant devotion is what comes from having a clear purpose.

You would think most marketers are aware of the need for vision, but it’s astonishing how many teams are flying blind. A clear vision statement is something that frequently gets lost in the shuffle. We focus on more visible, concrete priorities such as budgeting and headcount. And of course some less-enlightened senior executives may have disdain for such “fluffy” team-building exercises and prefer to “just get down and do the work.”

However, the science is clear. Countless studies have proven that “synergy” is more than just a corporate buzzword. A collection of brains is better than one, and when working in concert, with a common goal, they vastly outperform those solo operators and groups lacking a common goal. 

In their 2015 study Vision and its Impact on Success, Gary Lynn and Faruk Kalay studied cross-functional teams at Apple, IBM and HP and found that teams with “vision clarity” and “vision stability” performed much better than others. A fascinating insight from the research was that team members often have different interpretations of the same event. If you have children, this is not surprising. In our household, countless sibling arguments are rooted in a profound disagreement about what just happened! Parents live an eternal version of Rashomon – constantly refereeing competing testimonies from tiny lawyers.  It’s no surprise that this continues into the workplace. These differing perceptions of shared events are combined with the fact that absent any clear prioritization of mission from above, team members will build their own priority stack, often ordered differently from their teammates. This combination of confused interpretation and confused priorities is what creates the swimming pool full of treacle our teams are wading through. Net net net: internal conflict and frustration.

THE SOLUTION

Write a vision statement that brings your team together under a common goal and you will instantly kick-start the engine of team performance.

THE TAKEAWAY

Make your vision clear

Write a short vision statement describing the future state you want your team to get to. Write plainly and make it simple. There is no glory in using long, complicated words. Use concrete language instead of abstract concepts. When you replace vague conceptualisms with words which describe the things you can see, hear and touch, you are using concrete language. Concrete language is scientifically proven to be more effective as it is more specific and less open to Rashomon-style interpretation. This way you make your priorities crystal clear. Your vision statement must seamlessly connect with your greater brand/organization’s strategy, but make it “yourthing”^TM - your own special vision that makes team members feel “part of something.”

Be consistent

The researchers found that a consistent vision over time reduces confusion and stops team members from getting frustrated about what they are supposed to be doing. Don’t rush something out as a stopgap. Take your time, canvass senior management, team members and trusted partners. Make it apply in all the future situations you can imagine: rebrands, product changes, personnel changes. Get it right first time so that you don’t have to revisit it a year or two down the line.

Be inspirational

Put yourself in the shoes of a team member reading your vision statement. Would you feel inspired by it? Does it capture your imagination? Anyone who has spent time working in a modern corporate environment will have developed a significant helping of cynicism and distrust of authority. Your vision statement has to co-opt the most cynical in your team – so avoid corporate platitudes and weak-sauce fake promises. Create something your coworkers can really get behind.

With a coherent statement of your priorities, combined with a clear “destination” for your team - each member finds it easier to manage their priorities and you won’t have to spend valuable intellectual and emotional energy trying to unravel the knots they create. Craft a vision statement that will put your team on the high-performance track.

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OMG. You’re still here? What are you waiting for. Start writing it now!

PS: If you already have a great vision statement, or have come across a great one in the past - send it to me at [email protected] and I’ll include a selection of the best in my next newsletter.