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• Not focused or committed.

Does it best

Half a century ago, Lee Kuan Yew, former Singaporean prime minister, often referred to as the father of
modern Singapore, had a vision for what was possible in his country. Lee’s “big idea” was that, in order
for Singapore to realize its potential, the citizens would first need a prosperous livelihood and have a
sense of nationalism. One thing Lee did immediately was to compel citizens to adopt English as their
working language. This helped forge a unified society and laid the foundation to unite the island’s many
different ethnic groups. Lee wanted to instill in his fellow Singaporeans a sense that they all shared a
future, in his words, that “if Singapore goes down everyone goes down.”

Through Lee’s vision, Singapore has been transformed from a fishing village with a port to an intellectual
and technical center of the region. Due in large part to his leadership, per capita income has grown from
about US$400 a year to close to US$40,000. What was a medium-sized city has become a significant
international and economic player. 58, 59

Tips to develop Drives vision and purpose

1. Individuals unclear about how they fit in? Connect work to the big picture. Understanding the
vision is important for people in every role. Draw the link between your goals, projects, and
deliverables and the organization’s destination. Initiate conversations with peers and leaders. Get
clear about how what you do moves the organization toward its vision. Get clear about how your
efforts activate the strategy directly or indirectly. Get clear about how the vision fits into the larger
context of your industry and society. Articulate why this matters to you personally and
professionally—purpose and passion fuel individual and group performance. Discuss upcoming
initiatives that don’t fully align with the vision. What adjustments need to be made? Outline the
specific actions you’ll take to remove obstacles and drive the vision forward.

2. Missing a sense of purpose? Inquire about peak experiences. An effective way to uncover or
revive a sense of purpose in a group or organization is through a process originally developed by
David Cooperrider called “Appreciative Inquiry.” It involves asking about the best of what already
exists and finding ways to build upon that. Through surveys or dialogue, ask people to (1) Reflect on
times that stand out as being a high point in their work with the organization or team—when they felt
the most alive, effective, or really proud of their involvement. (2) Identify three things they appreciate
about the organization/team that they’d like to maintain going forward. (3) Describe what they want
the organization/team to look like in the future. Then gather the varied responses and cluster them
around key themes. Identify the core values and shared sense of purpose. Talk about how to
leverage, communicate, and reinforce these throughout the organization/team.

3. Confusion about what’s critical? Craft a clear mission statement. A mission statement is a short
description of the purpose of an organization, team, or individual. It answers the fundamental
questions: Why do we exist? How do we add value? Effective purpose statements are clear and
concise. They signal what’s mission critical. They help people decide how to allocate time, energy,

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