Vision is a destination in the future. Mission is the roadmap

Wednesday, 3 February 2010 | Filed under Innovation

The phrase — “Where there is a will, there is a way” — is no idle observation. The key word here is “Will”, a determinant of achievement, success, victory, triumph and it begins in the inner depths of a human being. A strong will means a person who will succeed no matter what the odds are.

I prefer to substitute the word “Will” for Vision, not because “Will” is a four-letter word but the word Vision allows me to explain clearly what it means to be without one.

Simply put, without Vision we will be blind. We will be blind to the opportunities in front of us and at the same time we will be blind to the dangers that surround us.

Vision is a destination in the future. But to get there we need Mission.

The ability to translate the Vision through Mission, is what matters

With Vision you can plan but with Mission you can implement. You need the right kind of Mission to translate the steps needed to achieve the Vision.

The most successful individuals are those who helm the most successful organisations. There is not a single one that has no Vision and the accompanying Mission. The Vision quite often is embraced by the entire workforce of these organisations.

Countries are no different.

Almost every country has a Vision to propel the economy forward. Without Vision countries will not grow. They will stagnate and their resources will be plundered by others who have the Vision to plan and to implement.

With Vision countries like Cambodia and Vietnam, that were languishing in the bottom of global trade a decade ago, are moving rapidly forward. The landscapes of these countries are beginning to change, reflecting their successes and their hopes for the future.

Then there are those nations with big Visions. They are the ones who dominate the world and size has nothing to do with it. Some of the most successful economies belong to small countries. These are countries that are able to attract the best brains because they have created the environment where these brains find both satisfaction and the right remuneration for their capabilities.

With Vision, even if it is decades into the future, the planning becomes very targeted. We have seen and felt what is like to have a big Vision and many in the developing world have been inspired to develop a Vision for their countries and have planned the way forward for their countries to progress.

Botswana has Vision 2016, Swaziland has Vision 2022, and Lesotho has Vision 2020, so does Nigeria and many other countries too.

A creative and innovative mindset needed to meet challenges

Vision being a destination in the future will certainly have challenges that may not have been anticipated during the planning stage. Therefore a creative and innovative mindset is absolutely necessary to address new issues that may slow down or block the road to achieving the Vision.

The advantage of having a creative and innovative mindset is equivalent to having a Swiss Army Knife – you are fully equipped to cope no matter what kind of situation crops up. Imagine all the gadgets within the Swiss Army Knife as the brainpower you possess to tackle a situation.

Innovation is, most certainly, a partner to Vision, a partner that ensures the Vision is realized.

Leadership, Strategy and Efficiency vital to propel the Mission and achieve the Vision

To have Vision but no Leadership is to doom projects to failure. Just like Innovation, Leadership is also a partner to Vision. Leadership will ensure there is Strategy. Leadership will ensure there is Efficiency. Leadership will ensure there is outcome.

Vision has to be applied to any initiative. While a country can have an overall Vision that looks at a decade or decades into the future, there have to be micro-visions for all the departments to micro-manage what needs to be achieved year by year.

The best laid plans will have outcomes attached to actions that lead to the realization of the overall Vision. This means that every action must have a planned reaction. A chess player will understand this very well.

Vision is truly nothing new to us all. Every parent has a vision for the son or daughter. The vision is not about two or three years into the future. It is decades because every parent wants the child to become a successful person. The parent will then plan, step by step, to secure the future that has been envisaged.

To an entrepreneur the enterprise becomes the child. In the same way to the political leader the country becomes the responsibility. When the focus remains on the enterprise or the country then the entity will succeed because the right steps would have been put in place, the best sacrifices would have been made.