I don’t know about you, but I am a very visual thinker. I can picture the end state of an idea or a project clearly. This has been both a blessing and a curse. When I can see things with a high degree of clarity, it causes me to believe that the path is relatively clear and simple. And, of course, this is rarely the case.
The other difficulty this presents occurs in my communication with others. I used to lose patience when explaining things because I didn’t respect the time and/or level of detail that was required by others.
As I continued to develop in my own leadership, I started to understand the limitations of my method of thinking and respect the needs and methods of others. This created a collaborative environment to work with others and create a more balanced outcome. I developed a lot of scar tissue before I got to this place, but it has been worth it. I have become much more engaging and collaborative in the process.
Part of translating your vision involves being able to translate it to allow others to understand the desired outcome, as well as, gain clarity on where they fit in. In my research and in exploring common themes with my clients, the bottom line is that “employees need to know how things will impact them”. That’s their primary concern.
The next time you are passionate about a strategy or vision in your leadership, keep in mind that you will get a better result if you can truly engage others in a way that is meaningful for them.
They need to be able to translate how something will impact them – what will be required, how will it benefit their development or recognition, who will they be working with, and what is the timeline for the effort. Being available for check-ins and additional direction also helps the effort.
Here are some ideas to help you think about translating your vision or idea:
- Document a summary of the original idea or vision as well as a summary of the end game.
- From your summary of the end game, start to document a few key milestones that would help you evaluate how you are doing along the way.
- Consider assigning key parts of the vision or idea to some key people in your organization and make them “owners” of that piece of the project.
- Stay connected to the effort and continue to refine it as you receive updates from the “owners”.
- At the end, perform a review and look at how the final product compares to the original vision you had for it. This information can inform future ideas and projects!