I have been working on my goals for a long time but seemed to stall at identifying what my top level vision was. Looking back on my notes it appears that I’ve had the content nearly there for a long time, but the thing that seemed to be stopping me was how to actually write my vision.
I have decided to use the format suggested by Jim Collins for organisation’s vision in his book Built to Last, which I remembered from the dissertation for my management diploma a few years ago.
The concept
According to Jim Collins a good vision consists of two components:
- Core ideology – what we stand for and why we exist
- Envisioned future – what we aspire to become, to achieve, to create
The core ideology includes two parts purpose and values, that remain constant. The purpose is the organisation’s reason for being; it is what motivates the employees beyond making money. The values are a set of guiding principles the organisation follows.
The envisioned future also includes two parts a 10 – 30 year audacious goal and a description of what it will be like when the organisation achieves the goal.
My core ideology
So applying this to my notes, this is what my first draft of my core ideology looks like (I am still working on my envisioned future).
My purpose – to be happy and help those close to me to be happy
My values
- build strong and supportive relationships
- exist in pleasant and personal surroundings
- be healthy and attractive for my own benefit and to benefit those around me
- be financially independent
- develop a rewarding and challenging career
- be able to enjoy the things I enjoy when I choose to
- challenge myself by trying new things and through continued learning.
I’ve had this now for about two weeks and currently there are just two points that I’m wondering if I should change the wording. By financially independent I mean I don’t need to have a job for money to live off, but my husband interpreted this as having my own money and not relying on him, and I wonder if the word career suggests working for someone else too much and perhaps an alternative word such as lifestyle or occupation would be more appropriate.
Please let me know your comments as this is a major step forward for me and I don’t want to slow down now!