Staying Focused: Vision Alignment Drives Impact and Success

Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Similarly, the Bible states, “Without vision, people perish.” Nowhere is this truer than in today’s workplace.

With countless distractions and “shiny objects” vying for our attention, it’s easy to lose focus. Without a clear sense of direction, we may miss our destination entirely. This is one reason why many have written about the pitfalls of mission creep, a phenomenon that often affects nonprofits. Mission creep occurs when an organization expands without thoughtful planning or a firm vision of its desired future.

Here’s the catch: sometimes, when we think of a vision, we imagine it as an overwhelming, grand-scale, almost unattainable goal, which can be intimidating. The good news is that believing in grand, aspirational ideas can subtly shift our daily mindset. A compelling vision brings clarity to smaller, everyday decisions and guides critical choices that consistently align the organization with its goals.

For instance, leaders of an organization supporting homeless young adults defined their vision as “No Kid Sleeps on the Street.” Although they knew this vision was ambitious—possibly even unattainable—it became embedded in the organization’s core values and guided every decision, large and small. When the opportunity arose to acquire an independent facility, the question wasn’t, “Can we afford this?” (which, at the time, they clearly could not), but rather, “How do we make this happen?”

A successful business owner once noted how frequently people outside his organization offered ideas on what the company “should” do. Suggestions abound in a prosperous environment, regardless of an idea’s quality or the person’s familiarity with the business. This owner quickly recognized the importance of his vision and the power of remaining true to it, especially when others tried to pull him in different directions.

Holding firmly to a vision is key to staying on course, simplifying decision-making, and conserving valuable resources, including time. Staying true to a clear vision fulfills the expectation, “If you can think it, you can do it!”