Yellow Brick Road to Business Success

Dorothy and her friends in the Wizard of Oz are told to follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road. You don’t need a wizard to get to success. You just need to be clear about where you are headed.

What’s your vision?

A vision statement is the first step on the road. Here is a formula which comes from a software company called Cascade based in Sydney, Australia with offices in Seoul, Korea and Portland, Oregon . (This approach is the best I’ve seen in 50 years of coaching companies on this part of brand.)

Here are the basic rules they suggest for your vision statement:

• Make it short – two sentences at an absolute maximum.

• Be specific to your business and describe a unique outcome that only you can provide aligned with your values.

• Do not use words that are open to interpretation. Specify what it actually looks like.

• Keep it simple enough for people inside and outside the organization to understand. No technical jargon, no metaphors, no business buzz-words!

• Make it ambitious enough to be exciting but not so ambitious that it seems unachievable.

The process

Step 1: Define what you do as an output

Start by being exceptionally clear about what it is your organization actually does. Be careful to remain ‘output focused’ rather than ‘input focused’. For example, Microsoft famously had a vision statement to Put a Microsoft powered computer on every desk in the world (slightly paraphrased). Strictly speaking what Microsoft ‘do’ is make computer software, but for the purposes of their vision, they looked forward to the actual outcome of this process – i.e. computers on desks.

Step 2: Define what unique twist your organization brings to the outcome

Very few products or services these days are truly new – most are more like reinventions of something that exists already, but with a different approach, focus or spin.

At some point in your organization’s lifespan – someone will have believed that the reason that THIS organization would be successful where others have failed, was because of………something.

You need to define that something!

Step 3: Apply some high-level quantification

A common problem with vision statements is ironically, that they are too visionary! With no possible end in sight (or a totally unrealistic one) – the initial inspiration derived from a great vision statement can quickly turn to frustration, or even cynicism among employees and customers.

Put an easily understood descriptive metric into your vision statement that describes the customers with which your company will interact.

Step 4: Add relatable, human, ‘real world’ aspects

One final trick you can apply to help make it even more memorable is to add a real-life aspect so that people can conjure up a solid mental image to associate with your vision statement. Microsoft did it by saying they wanted: A Microsoft powered computer on every desk.

The assembly

This short description, intended to jog your thinking is:

Step 1 – The output

Step 2 – The twist

Step 3 – The quantification

Step 4 – The human connection

Here are two real-world examples:

Brand Poobah

• Output                       Craft brands that instantly connect

• Twist                          Unique, Trust-Based

• Quantification           Successful independent professionals

• Human connection  Every contact remembers

We craft Unique, Trust-based brands that instantly connect with prospects for successful independent professionals that every contact remembers.

Developed by Jerry Fletcher

Leveraged Negotiations

• Output                        Resolve business situations

• Twist                           Using collaborative negotiation science

• Quantification           That clients can’t afford to lose

• Human connection   So that both sides feel they have won.

Resolve business situations that clients can’t afford to lose using collaborative negotiation science so that both sides feel they have won.

Developed by Jerry Fletcher

What is your vision?

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His consulting practice, founded in 1990, is known for Trust-based Brand development, Positioning and business development for independent professionals on and off-line.

Consulting: www.JerryFletcher.com
Speaking: www.NetworkingNinja.com
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