A salon owner reached out to me recently because she wanted to increase her team's productivity. As we discussed her long-term goals, we quickly discovered that many of her goals were only in her head. We also identified that she was the only person who knew and understood them. She promptly identified why her employees could not meet her expectations. They did not know or understand them. We discussed the first skill in the Power6 Leader framework of motivating action and the role that clarifying and communicating your vision has in driving team performance. The more your employees know what you aim to accomplish, the better they will be at helping you bring your vision to life.
Answering the big question.
One of the more challenging tasks for small business owners is answering the question, "Where do you want to be in five years?" This question can be difficult because it requires you to think beyond today's needs and imagine tomorrow's potential. Many small business owners spend so much time thinking about how they will increase revenue this month or pay bills due this week that they do not ponder the future.
Pro Tip: Research businesses outside of your industry for inspiration on what is possible. Some of the best ideas come from replicating the actions of others.
Make time to imagine.
The first step in communicating your vision for your company is to clear your schedule and create space to reflect on what you are working towards. Are you looking to scale your business nationwide, add locations, or build infrastructure so you can take a much-needed vacation? Clarifying what you want your business to look like in the future for yourself, will make it easier to communicate with your team.
Pro tip: Create a vision board to help you imagine your business's possibilities. Images can often help you find words for ideas that are not quickly spoken.
Why 5 years?
Looking five years into the future can help you overcome some of the fear, anxiety, and hedging that prevent people from setting ambitious goals. You want to get your mind out of the present, which is full of limitations. Allowing yourself to see beyond today or next year can give you space to be more ambitious and envision more possibilities. The purpose here is not to be a perfect forecaster of the future. The goal is to get beyond today's realities so you can build towards tomorrow's potential.
Pro tip: Don't worry about being practical at this point. You can be pragmatic when you start working on goals. This stage is all about dreams and wishes.
Journal to clarify vision.
We encourage business owners to write a journal about their vision. Journaling can help you verbalize your thoughts. The more you write about your vision, the more apparent it will become, and the easier it will be to communicate with others. Being clear on your vision is essential to having the confidence to share your dream. Martin Luther King revised and practiced his "I Have a Dream" speech multiple times before sharing it at the March on Washington. The more you ponder and refine your vision, the clearer and easier it will become to discuss.
Pro Tip: Dedicate 15 minutes to writing about your future two or three times this week. Research has discovered this is an optimal time and frequency for journaling.
Meet to discuss vision.
Once you have a clear vision of where you want your business to be in five years, schedule a meeting with your team. The meeting should be around 50 minutes long, and you should provide an agenda so your employees know what will be discussed. Ask them to consider their vision for where they see themselves five years from now and how the company can support their growth.
Pro tip: Bring in a third party to facilitate the conversation. Participating in a conversation instead of hosting frees up mental space to be more engaged.
Bring it all together.
After the meeting, you will want to convert your big-picture vision into actionable tasks. One of the first should be one-on-one meetings with team members to confirm their understanding of the vision and how their commitment to bringing it to life will serve them. Your employees will support your vision if you support theirs. Focus on building alliances of co-prosperity with your team members.
Pro Tip: Define the essential work for success, then verify that you have the right people doing the right things at the right time.
Summary
Within the Power6 Leader coaching model, motivating team action is the first skill we help small business owners develop. This skill sets the stage for building trust, guiding decision-making, delegating effectively, and navigating challenges. Defining and communicating your vision provides more certainty for your employees, leading to less stress and more engagement. Your work to align your team around a shared vision will increase your team's productivity.
Thank you for reading the latest version of our newsletter. We started this series to give small business owners the information they need to make 2025 their best profitability year. Throughout this series, we outline different tools and approaches we use with clients to help them with strategic planning and operational improvement.
Check out previous blogs to learn more about setting goals and taking steps to improve your business's profitability.
If you have any questions about the topics discussed here, you can email Executive Coach Dorian Cunion at dcunion@yourpathexecutivesolutions.com
Continue reading if you would like to learn more about the Power6 Leader Program.
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