MBA Series (Ep.10) - Vision Alignment

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How do you imagine the future? How do you intend to get there? What is the purpose of your actions? Asking these kinds of questions will help you better understand whether your vision and the vision of the people within your organization are aligned.

Vision alignment is a critical factor when it comes to the success of a Next Economy endeavor. Although this may sound obvious, it is often much more difficult to achieve than most people anticipate. 

During this episode, we explore some of the most common points of divergence amongst members of an organization, and how having uncomfortable conversations early on can help prevent problems from occurring further down the road. We are all unique individuals, so some level of divergence is unavoidable, but before you embark on a mission of transformation, it’s important to ensure that those divergences are not going to cost you your cause. 

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Key Points From This Episode:

  • Our definition of vision, and why it is such a critical factor in the building of the Next Economy. [0:02:12]

  • The problem of having divergent visions within an organization. [0:03:38]

  • What a vision alignment process looks like and the barriers to engaging in this process effectively. [0:06:42]

  • The importance of not becoming too attached to your vision. [0:12:16]

  • Examples of common points of divergence amongst members of an organization. [0:15:19]

  • The benefits of having conversations about vision alignment early on, despite the discomfort that they may bring. [0:24:12]

  • Exploring the concept of planning in the context of the Next Economy. [0:25:00]

  • The importance of testing out your ideas in the real world and not getting too caught up in the theory. [0:30:12]

  • One of the biggest traps that Next Economy endeavors fall into if they don’t have a clear vision. [0:35:05]

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Tweetables:

“It’s okay if everything isn’t 100% aligned. We need to get into those details so there’s a shared understanding.” — Shawn Berry [0:10:37]

“Once you have the makings of an aligned vision where there’s an explicit opt-in aligned vision for the group, it doesn’t mean it’s written in stone, never to change again. That would be foolish because we live in uncertain times, in a very dynamic environment; things change and our vision will adapt and change.” — @kevinbayuk [0:12:16]

“It’s really worth it to have this somewhat awkward, risky conversation to get really clear on [your vision] because when we get really clear on it, we can be in action around it, and we can be in coordination and in alignment around it.” — Shawn Berry [0:24:12]

“When we say ‘planning,’ we often talk about setting goals along the lines of the vision as an orientation device, not a destination.” — @kevinbayuk [0:25:23]

“If you have not articulated your vision by the point where you raise capital, then almost always the vision for the company becomes the vision that the investors hold.” — @kevinbayuk [0:35:46]

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Next Economy MBA

This episode is brought to you by the Next Economy MBA.

What would a business education look like if it was completely redesigned for the benefit of all life? This is why the team at LIFT Economy created the Next Economy MBA (https://lifteconomy.com/mba).

The Next Economy MBA is a nine-month online course for folks who want to learn key business fundamentals (e.g., vision, culture, strategy, and operations) from an equitable, inclusive, and regenerative perspective.

Join the growing network of 350+ alumni who have been exposed to new solutions, learned essential business skills, and joined a lifelong peer group that is catalyzing a global shift towards an economy that works for all life.

Learn more at https://lifteconomy.com/mba.

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Show Notes + Other Links

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