“My business is my passion! I love what I do – I can’t wait to get out of bed in the morning!”
Perhaps you used to say those words and mean them from your core. Perhaps you never felt that strongly about what you are doing. True, you founded a business or inherited it or were hired to run it, making you the “captain of the ship.” Yet, in the privacy of your own mind, you feel like a prisoner – with your business weighing you down as effectively as a ball and chain.
If that is your situation, it is wise to probe how the business became a ball and chain. In doing so, you may discover that you can turn the situation around and feel again (or for the first time) the exhilaration and energy of being in command of a ship heading toward an amazing destination.
Four vision-oriented questions lie at the center of the probing process. The first is “Is there a clear vision for the business?” A lack of vision frequently generates a sense of futility. Without a destination, a ship sails aimlessly, driven here and there by the wind. Even if it is steered, there is no purpose to the steering, since it does not matter if the ship goes in one direction versus another. To put it another way, if you don’t know what you are working for, you aren’t going to be excited about working. If there is no clear vision for the business, then your first order of business as a leader is to work with your leadership team to develop one.
Assuming there is an established vision for the business, the second question to ask yourself is “Am I in alignment with the vision for the business?” The fact is, a business can have a clear vision, but it may not align with your personal and professional goals and values. For example, suppose you inherited the reins of a family business devoted to developing game-changing robotic medical devices. If you personally have always wanted to be a jazz musician, then it doesn’t matter how specific and terrific the company vision is – it is not and will likely never be something that is particularly life giving to you. In such a case, significant soul-searching is called for. You may have to come to terms with your music being forever relegated to something you do “on the side.” You may find a compromise position where you divest some of your responsibilities in order to split your time between the business and your passion. You may decide that transitioning to a career in music is the best choice.
If your business has a vision and you personally are aligned with it, the next question is “Is everyone else aligned with the vision for the business?” It is exhausting and disheartening to work all day with people who are at odds with one another. For example, if your leadership team meetings resemble a tug of war with people arguing about direction, decisions, resource allocation, and the like, chances are they are not aligned on the vision for the business. After all, when people disagree on the “what,” there is no way they will agree on the “how.” Misalignment can happen at any level, from the leadership team on down the chain of command.
What if your business has a clear vision and you and your people are all behind it? Can your business still feel like a ball and chain? Certainly; that can happen when the vision and the execution are out of sync. So the fourth question to ask is “What is getting in the way of moving the vision forward?” Many factors can play in here. You could lack a well-structured plan. You might not have the right people in the right seats. Your operational processes might be cumbersome. You may need to invest in new technology. Whatever is making you feel like you are lugging around a ton of deadweight needs to be addressed.
If you are feeling shackled to your business instead of liberated by it, take a good look at these four vision-related questions. To summarize them:
- Is there a clear vision for the business? If not, create one, because that is how you will chart your course and your progress.
- Are you in alignment with the established vision for your business? If you are not, then you may have to make a personal course correction.
- Is everyone else aligned with the vision or the business? If not, take the time to get people pointed in the same direction and you will feel like you have the wind at your back.
- Are obstacles preventing the vision from becoming reality? If so, now is the time to blow them out of the water.
The bottom line? It’s time to toss your ball and chain aside and reclaim your place on the bridge!
