For any business to succeed it must know what it is about. It must be able to explain what it is there to achieve, and where it ultimately wants to end up. Unfortunately
majority of businesses can’t describe, or don’t have a picture of what they are trying to become. Either it’s just not considered important enough, or they get so caught up in daily running of business that there’s no time for thinking beyond next cycle. Having a vision and long term goals is essential. After all, if you don’t know where you are going, you’ll never know when you get there.
Think of it this way. When you get into a car, turn on engine and roll out of driveway, 99.9% of time you always have a destination in mind. Whether it’s office, fast food drive through or a town that is miles away, you know exactly where you are going. And because you know where you are going, you can choose from several routes to get there. Each route will take you where you want to go, but there may be pros and cons associated with choosing one over other (traffic considerations, length of trip and so on). Still, you can consciously choose a specific path, to meet your needs on that particular day.
Now imagine getting into your car with no destination in mind. You wouldn’t know when to turn right or left, or when to stop altogether. You could go forwards or in reverse – depending on your mood. You could keep driving around aimlessly forever - until you run out of petrol or car breaks down.
Not having a long term destination for your business puts many business owners in “aimless driving” category. If you don’t know where you are heading, then you can make any choice and go in any direction (including backwards). Plans are made based only on current situation and short term goals. Decisions are taken without having a broader context.
The value in knowing your final destination (your vision) is that you can choose to take specific paths that lead you there. Your action is intentional and keeps you pointed in right direction.
