Corporate Newsletter: SureWest

Issue 6: How clear is your future-vision?

July 18, 2002

Greetings, CIA agents! How is your week going? Let's take a moment and sharpen our axes together...

>> ARE YOU CLOSER?

"Are you closer today than you were yesterday?"
"Uh... I don't know. Closer to what?"
"Closer to having your personal vision become current reality."
"Well... I don't really have a personal vision."
"Ah... I see."

You've probably heard the saying, "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." Today's topic is personal vision. Do you have one?

A personal vision can encompass your entire life, your career, or just one aspect of your job. It simply means a vision, or view, of what something can be like (usually very different from how things actually are). It's the way you WANT things to be.

For example, I want this company to be filled with hundreds of employees who are well-versed in systems thinking, who exercise personal mastery of their skills, who constantly analyze the details and the big picture, and who enthusiastically embrace the constant change necessary to succeed in this crazy, fast-paced business world. This trickles down to my vision of my own daily work life: I want to walk these halls with keen observation and insight, asking the right questions in meetings and prompting others to strive for positive change. It also trickles down into my vision for the current project I'm working on: I want this project to introduce positive change and corporate synergy into processes that will impact our bottom line.

Aren't these visions just beautiful?  ;-)

>> PIE IN THE SKY OR VEHICLE FOR CHANGE?

"But, Teddi, that's such an Polly-Anna view of the world. That's not reality."

Exactly!

Our personal vision wouldn't be a vision if it were reality. The further your vision goes beyond the current reality, the more creative tension there will be. Creative tension is the energy, or vehicle, that pulls current reality towards future vision. We'll talk more about current reality and creative tension in the next newsletter.

For now, let's picture our vision of the future. Part of our vision as CIA agents is stated in our manifesto: "We pursue excellence, whatever our circumstances." That's nice, but it's important that you find a vision that is meaningful to you. Maybe your vision is being able to come into work and leave after a 40-hour week with all your tasks complete. Maybe your vision is to have your entire team working together in unity, with clear communication and a synergy that doubles your current effectiveness. Maybe your vision is simply to be able to communicate effectively with your boss.

It's your vision... so...

>> YOUR MISSION

Describe, in writing or out loud, your personal vision for your life. Include a vision for your work, but don't stop there -- develop a personal vision for your home, your hobbies, your relationships with family and friends. Remember, the reason you need a personal vision is because the vision is an ESSENTIAL element to reaching your goal. If you don't know what your goal is, you won't be able to clearly see the steps necessary to reach it. The vision is absolutely necessary for success.

If you like, email me your vision and we'll encourage each other. Or, share your vision with a friend. Such discussions are part of what moves a vision from imagination to reality.

By the way, if you'd like another copy of the SureWest CIA Agents Manifesto, just email me and I'll send you the PDF! And don't forget to pass along these emails to anyone you think might benefit from them. Share the vision!

"If you don't know where you're going, you'll probably end up someplace else."
-- Unknown

See you in the hallways, change agents!

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Some ideas and definitions used in this newsletter were found in the "Fifth Discipline Fieldbook" by Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Ross and Smith (ISBN 0-385-47256-0)