Page 35 - HBR Leader's Handbook: Make an Impact, Inspire Your Organization, and Get to the Next Level

Building a Unifying Vision 25

But not every leader has the opportunity to create a vision as far-
reaching as those of these large corporations. The vision you create for
your unit, however, should still be powerful for you and your team and
should make all of you feel that what you are doing is more than just a
job. So no matter what kind of organization you are a part of, think about
how your team or unit can have a transformative (or extremely positive)
impact on your internal or external customers. (See table 1-3 for some
examples.)

TABLE 1-3

Vision statements for small businesses and divisions within larger
companies

Lending department of a bank Our vision is to give our customers the financial
means to realize their dreams.
Automobile dealership We aim to help families enjoy the experience of
traveling together.
Internal audit unit of a media company We want to make sure that our colleagues stay
out of trouble and find new opportunities to im-
prove their operations.
Startup solar company Our vision is that our customers will produce
more electricity than they consume.
Warehouse for a manufacturing company We strive to get the right materials to the right
place at the right time at the right cost.
IT department of a pharmaceutical firm We aim to give our colleagues the tools that
allow them to increase the world’s health.

Boldness
Vision isn’t about just doing incrementally more than what you do now.
Rather it’s about defining a direction that is significantly different to cre-
ate new value for the organization and its constituents—not tomorrow but
over many years. As Dominic Barton, the global managing partner of Mc-
Kinsey, told us, “Managers take care of the railroad tracks that are already
there and make sure that the trains run well. But leaders shift the tracks,
they ponder different futures, they swing for the fences.”