Business planning deals with the
present and the future.
For a business to be able to manage the
future and deal with the changes that the future brings, a clear
vision of where the business is going is vital.
So, What Is Vision?
Vision is a mental and verbal picture
of the desired future. It is something that can be seen in the mind,
but not yet with the eyes. An owner's or CEO's vision must clearly
identify for all concerned - employees, customers, and suppliers -
what the business stands for.
Dr Stephen Covey, author of the
acclaimed book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People", says
"Begin with the end in mind." This is based on the
principle that all things are created twice. First there is the mental
creation, followed by the physical creation.
In our day to day lives we use vision
for example:
We plan a holiday with a
destination in mind
We build a home from a detailed
plan, the plan evolves from a picture in our mind.
In our business we
can only
meaningfully plan if we have a picture of our business's future - a
clear vision, which we can share with others, who once they can see it
too, will help us achieve our shared vision.