How your vision can grow your business

What’s your “Manifesto” for 2020 and beyond?

 

Election fever has gripped the nation. There’s no hiding from it, we’re on the brink of a general election and politics has gone wild. All the political parties are pumping out manifestos left, right and centre (excuse the pun!). All with the intention of capturing the imagination of the public and buying our “votes!”.

I don’t know about you but with the state politics is in I’d like to go and hide under a rock and ignore it all. But there is one important thing businesses can learn from politics and that’s the importance of a public “manifesto”.

 

But what is a manifesto?

According to www.parliament.uk a manifesto is a publication issued by a political party before a General Election. It contains a set of policies that the party stands for and would wish to implement if elected to govern.

It sounds rather dry when put that way. But regardless of what I have listened to, read or watched (or not as the case may be), for me a manifesto sets out a vision for the country and how its policies will enrich and grow our country.  It weaves a rich tapestry of how our country will look, how it’s going to get better and how that political party will strive to make the country the best it’s ever been.

Its rich emotional language, empathetic causes and attempted benevolence wraps up what is essentially boring political policy in a nice bow. Many contain words and phrases such as investment, development, care, well- being, better services; fairness; an institution to be proud of to name but a few.

All this flowery language is designed to engage our emotions, pull at our heartstrings and get us onboard. And it works.

 

Why do I need a manifesto?

So, what exactly can your business learn from a manifesto? You’re not a political party, you’re not here to trick, deceive or run a country! But you are here to grow a business.

A manifesto is just a vision of how someone wants something to be. If you’re growing a business, you undoubtedly have a vision in your mind of where you want your business to be in 5 or 10 years’ time. The difference between your vision and a party manifesto is one is public and the other is often kept private.

What is your business “manifesto?” What is your vision and how are you looking to grow your business?

When you close your eyes, you can see how your business could look in the future, you see a team of happy, connected, productive people who share your passion and vision for what you do. Your customers love what you do and give you great feedback (and referrals to new prospects). Your profitability is healthy, and you feel a sense of satisfaction that as a leader, you have been instrumental in turning your dreams and aspirations into reality.

Your vision or “manifesto” should guide everything you do in business. It should inform all your decisions and behaviour, but it should also inform the decisions and behaviour of your people.

So, the most important question you NEED to ask yourself today is have you written, published and communicated your vision to the people you work with every day?

Or is this your best-kept secret?

 

The secret of a successful manifesto

A compelling vision which everyone can get behind gets all your people rowing in the same direction. During a visit to the NASA space centre in 1962, President John F. Kennedy noticed a janitor carrying a broom. He interrupted his tour, walked over to the man and said, “Hi, I’m Jack Kennedy. What are you doing?”

“Well, Mr. President,” the janitor responded, “I’m helping put a man on the moon”.

No matter how large or small a role your people play in your business, they all contribute to the larger story unfolding within your life, your business and your organisation. In short, they are invaluable and should be treated as such. Trust them with your vision. Instil in them the same passion that drives you to get up every day, give them something to root for and work towards.

A clearly articulated and communicated business vision states your approach, your objectives, defines who you are, where you are going and how you will get there. Zentano’s vision, in short, is to “Transform the way leadership is done in the UK”. This is the goal we all rally around; this is what drives everything we do, and this is what our team push for every day. We all know our role and how we contribute to this aim just like the janitor at NASA.  

When your entire team embraces and gets behind your “manifesto”, magic starts to happen. So, what is your manifesto for 2020 and beyond?

If you need support with growing your business, developing your vision and inspiring your people. Zentano is always happy to chat. Get in touch for a non-obligatory chat with one of our leadership and management specialists.