Create a Shared Vision

Two weeks ago, we began a 5-week series on how to ACT with POWER, the third step in the Leader in You framework (download our overview of this framework here).
 
Within our ACT with POWER framework, there are 5 critical actions that powerful leaders must do to move forward on important issues and initiatives.
 
The first week, we focused on the P of the acronym POWER – which stands for Possibility Mindset. What we’ve seen over and over again is that the most successful leaders are always looking for the possibilities inherent in the obstacles and challenges they face.

Last week, we talked about the O, of the acronym POWER, which stands for Ownership & Transparency.

As a leader, once you’ve shifted into a Possibility Mindset, you can start to see ways to move that can create success. Then, you Own your role in moving forward on the effort and are Transparent about why this effort is important to you.

Today, we’re covering the W, of the acronym POWER, which stands for We-Focused Goal Setting.

As a leader, We-Focused Goal Setting means creating a shared vision and shared goals with your team or the people you are working with. Why? Because people are much more inclined to get behind something that they helped to create. That’s so important, we’ll say it again.

People are much more inclined to get behind something that they helped to create.

Think about it this way, if you’re creating new workflow processes and you engage your team in exploring what’s possible, that’s a great first step.

If you then share your commitment to creating success and why that success matters to you and explore why it would matter to them, you’ll start to see greater engagement.

Then, together, you’ll create shared goals for how to move the effort forward. By doing these first three steps, you’re more likely to have an entirely different response than if you said, “Do X going forward.” 

The same is true if you’re a parent trying to get your family to eat more healthfully, (even with a 3 or 5-year old).

You’ll talk about what’s possible for healthy food additions, why it’s important to you and ask why the family wants to be healthy, and then you can create a list of healthier foods together to add into your days.

This will be so much more effective than simply adding brussel sprouts to the next meal!

In both cases, you want to look for those places where you can create a sense of “we” by working together to create an agreed upon plan to move closer to the vision.

Leadership is important in your work and in your life, and it requires creating shared macro-visions about the longer-term future as well as shared micro-visions about how you and your team (the We) will handle things today. 

Spend some time this week looking at the goals that you’re leading toward and ask yourself,

• Have I worked with the key people to create WE-Focused goals?
• Are the people I’m leading aligned with this goal?
• Does each person have a sense of ownership about the success of the goal?
• Do they understand what success looks like?
• Does each person know what they need to do to succeed?

Remember, if your team, your colleagues, or your family can see their fingerprints on the vision, project, goal, or decision, they’re much more apt to be excited and engaged with its outcome.

Next week, we’ll talk about the 4th step in the ACT with POWER framework, the E, which stands for Enable Action.

Each day, you can ACT with POWER to create greater success in your life, in your family, in your work and in your community. 

Let us know how you’re stepping into your POWER!

– Linda, Stephanie, and Heather