How important is a vision statement to your company or division? Well, have you ever thought about embarking on a journey without knowing where you are going? The same can be said about running a company, without a vision statement you are going places but who knows if it is in the right direction or even if you want to go there.

A vision statement should paint a picture of what you want your business or division to look like in the future. A vision statement should be specific to a company, team or division and therefore there could be numerous vision statements in one company. It should tell you what you are trying to build. It should be expansive, full of passion and allow you to dream of possibilities. This is not something that you are necessarily going to share with your customers this is about what you want for your future.

Your vision statement should excite you and help you dream. If your vision statement doesnt excite you how can you expect to be successful, how can go to work each day and be motivated?

To create your vision statement you need to think outside the box, think of wild possibilities. This is not the time to be limited by practicalities and what you believe be to truths. Aim for the stars. When writing your vision statement keep the ideas flowing. Use adjectives that excite and motivate you. Dont let anything stand in your way.

Once you have the first draft down live with it for a couple of days, ask others for their input. Remember nothing is set in stone. The vision statement you create today may work for the next 6 months or 3 years but ultimately the environment changes or you begin to see new possibilities and then your vision statement needs to change as well.

Below are 3 examples of vision statements that work. Many have numbers and dates in them but this is not a requirement. The numbers do, however, focus your ideas and clarify what you want to achieve. They also are measurable and you will be able to see when you achieve that vision.

Industrial Company: Within the next five years build ZXM into the premier west coast industrial process automation company specializing in integration solutions. ZXM revenues will grow to $20 million by 2009 by expanding its role from a manufacturing rep. company to a complete engineering, field service and process solutions company.

Management Team: Evolve the existing management team into a vital growing force that:

Graeme Nichol

What differentiates Graeme is the depth and breadth of his experience in management. He has either been in management or has been consulting to management for over 25 years. What he has seen and experienced is an unlimited resource that his clients can tap when resolving their business and team problems.

His experience includes consulting with large practices such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Coopers and Lybrand and Price Waterhouse; and boutique performance improvement implementation practices such as Knox D’Arcy Intl. and KrestaHague Intl. He has configured and managed complex ERP software implementations, worked in productivity and performance improvement, quality improvement, change management, strategy implementation, and managed both small and large projects. Graeme has worked in manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, communication, direct marketing, banking, beverages, consumer packaged goods, foodstuffs, and retail amongst others.

In his years of experience gained around the globe, he always found that business problems were usually either caused or solved by a team. If a team worked well together they could overcome amazing hurdles but if they were not aligned all types of hurdles appeared. He has gained extensive experience developing high performing teams. He knows what makes a team works and how to get them to function as one.

Besides management he is passionate about teaching and training. He has instructed many workshops and training sessions on various aspects of business such business planning, sales training, team building, introduction to business, conflict resolution, negotiations, general management, costing, management accounting, management reporting, developing management metrics and operations management.

When not working with his clients, Graeme’s passions are flying and sailing. His passion for teaching extends into his private life where he teaches flying and basic aerobatics. He has a small aerobatic plane which he loves to take up and throw around the sky. He has raced a 40ft yacht across the Atlantic Ocean, and competed in numerous sailing regattas, in the USA and abroad as well as cruised the East Coast of the USA with his family. Sailing is always a team event as each team member controls a small part of the boat. Team members need to be aligned and focused to achieve the results they desire.

Graeme has a BS degree in Agricultural Economics and an MBA from the University of Cape Town, RSA

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