1. Developing a Compelling Vision Statement
A Short Stack PPT Developed by the
Center for Strategic Change
at George Fox University

2. The Center for Strategic Change at George Fox University has a simple mission: To help college and university leaders succeed. We will accomplish this mission by serving as both a platform and resource for strategic innovation. As a platform, we will provide current practitioners an opportunity to present their ideas and insights to the higher education community. As a resource, we will provide curated content in the areas of leadership, visioning, strategic planning, and organizational design. ShortStack: A ShortStack is a concise, 25 slides or so, PowerPoint presentation that focuses on a specific topic or issue. ShortStacks are designed to brings teams up to speed on a specific topic or issue.

3. Vision-Centric Strategic Planning
This book will serve as the foundation for this presentation

4. Without vision, people perish. – Proverbs 29:18

5. There is no more powerful engine driving an organization toward excellence and long-range success than an attractive, worthwhile, and achievable vision of the future that is widely shared. – Burt Nanus

6. Included on any list of why strategic plans fail is the lack of a compelling vision.

7. What Is a Vision
A vision is a realistic, credible, compelling and shared future for your organization.
A vision statement answers the question, “What will success look like?”

8. Importance of a Vision Statement
Karl Albrecht uses the image of “the northbound train” to describe the importance of a vision to an organization.
A northbound train conveys an unwavering commitment to a particular direction.
The idea of a moving train also conveys a strong sense of momentum – of unstoppable, implacable movement toward an unambiguous direction or goal.

9. A Vision Is Not …
A mission. Missions describe why you do what you do; visions describe where you are going. A mission is your raison d'être.
Factual. Great visions are inspirational.
While they may have factual elements, they are designed to inspire.
All inclusive. Rather, it focuses and limits.
Philosophical. Instead, it is intuitive and declarative.
Static. Visions are dynamic. They are always slightly out of reach. They lean forward.
Your whole story. Rather, it is just enough of your story that people say, “Tell me more.”

10. Overcoming the Gravity Issue
People in organizations tend to orbit the familiar and the safe.
Because of this, a vision must be compelling enough to pull people out of their comfortable orbits.
To do so, a vision must create a sense or urgency around a more enticing view of the future.

11. Attributes of a Great Vision
Imaginable. It defines the optimal desired future state and provides a mental picture of what an organization wants to achieve over time.
Directional. It functions as the "northbound train” and offers clear direction.
Appropriate. It builds on your mission and core values.
Desirable. It appeals to the long-term interest of those who have a stake in the enterprise.
Differentiating. Your vision compellingly distinguishes you from your top competitors.
Feasible. Your vision contains realistic and attainable goals.
Communicable. Your vision is easy to communicate and can be explained quickly.
Vivid. Your vision is written succinctly in an inspirational manner that makes it easy for all employees to repeat it at any given time.

12. MLK “I Have a Dream” Speech
Likely one of the best vision statements ever
Delivered on Aug. 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial
The speech is 17 minutes long and imagines a future that inspired millions.

13. How Compelling Are the Following Visions?
Oxfam: A just world without poverty
XXYYZZ College, a respected leader in Pennsylvania, will be nationally recognized for our commitment to student success and excellence in teaching, empowering learners to enrich the social, cultural and economic vitality of our region and the global community.
U of Phoenix: Education for busy adults
How compelling is your current vision statement?

14. Developing a Compelling Vision

15. An Eight-Step Visioning Process
Assemble the vision team.
Create the master planning calendar.
Listen and learn.
Identify your “compellings.”
Write the first draft of your vision statement.
Solicit input.
Revise and refine your vision statement.
Adopt and communicate.

16. Assemble the Team
The process begins with the creation, by the president, of the visioning team.
In most cases the team includes the senior team, as well as faculty leadership. Depending on your specific context, the team may or may not include alumni, trustees and donors.
Ideally, you want to keep the team as small as possible.
Remember, though, that while not everyone should be on the team, everyone should be represented by someone on the team.

17. Create the Master Planning Calendar
Next, the team creates the master planning calendar.
This calendar shows how long the planning process will take and highlights key milestones.

18. Listen and Learn
Next, the team reviews existing mission, core values, and vision statements (your strategic core) and holds interviews with internal stakeholders and external audiences.
Other, more formal research is likely to be conducted at this time.
Part of the “listen and learn” often includes reviewing the vision statements of competing schools and other institutions and organizations.

19. Identify Your Compellings
At this point you should begin to identify your “compellings,” those qualities and characteristics that are of keen interest to both your internal and external audiences.
Remember, the goal is compelling and not merely distinctive.
The size of your library may be distinctive, but students increasingly use libraries for other things beyond checking out books.
A very high medical school placement rate is compelling.
A list of sample visioning questions may be found in Appendix A.

20. Write the First Draft of Your Vision Statement
Now it is time to write first draft of the new vision. After this draft is completed, the team asks itself:
Does this vision statement clarify who we are and what we value?
Is the vision simple, obvious and intuitive?
Will this vision change us? If so, how?
Will this vision be durable enough to help us meet the challenges ahead?
Does it differentiate us from key competitors in ways that our most important audiences will find compelling?
Will it inspire and motivate?

21. Solicit Input
After the vision statement is refined in the previous step, it is now time to “walk” the draft vision around campus and solicit input from faculty, staff and others.
This step is important for two reasons:
It increases the likelihood that the vision will be accepted among key campus constituencies and key external audiences.
The iterative nature of Step 6 is a great refining process.
Many of the questions asked in the previous step are asked again.
Of particular interest is this question: Will this vision overcome the gravity issue?

22. Revise and Refine Your Story
With input from internal and external audiences, the visioning team develops a final draft.
Care must be taken at this step not to be distracted by wordsmithing. Too much wordsmithing can squeeze the life out of a great vision statement.

23. Adopt and Communicate
At this point the vision is formally adopted by the campus community and then aggressively communicated to both internal and external audiences over time.
A handy formula will help you understand the importance of communicating your vision:
Vision + Communication = Shared Purpose
Communicate widely, often, and with creativity.

24. A Vision Checklist An ideal vision… Provides clear direction
Builds on institutional history, culture, and core values
Institutionally intuitive
Prioritizes
Is clear, understandable (simple) and explainable
Is achievable within existing resource base
Is exciting
Provides a point of compelling differentiation
Will attract resources (talent, students and donated dollars)

25. Appendix A – Sample Visioning Questions
Why were you founded? Do the reasons for your founding still exist?
If you were founded today, what would you stand for?
If you would go out of business today, who would miss you?
What one word currently describes you? What one word do you wish would describe you?
What part of your story do you have the most difficulty telling? Proving?
Why do people give to your institution?
Why do your best faculty and staff stay?
What is the thing about your institution that your competitors wish they had/could do/could say?
 What are your competitive advantages?