Can you see your team’s future? Can they see their future? You must have a vision of your team, and they must know what that vision is. Elevating them to their current best is not enough for a great leader. Where do you want your team to be in a week, month, quarter, year, five years? If your answer is “I don’t know,” then I highly recommend you write a strategic plan. Any plan that you make needs to have goals. All these goals must be SMART goals, Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
After your goals are set, decide on how far out you want to share your vision. I am a proponent of full transparency, but that does not mean you need to overload everyone with information immediately. With that said, if anyone asks what the plan is farther down the line, be prepared to share, but there is no need to offer that information immediately unless your team asks about it.
As you share your strategic planning, share your vision for the shortest length of time, and only expand to longer strategic goals after they see your vision of the short-term goals. Does your team know where they need to be by the end of the week? If so, share your vision for the month, and keep expanding from there. There is no use in sharing your vision for next year if they do not already have a view of next week.
As you share your strategy, keep in mind that everyone will have a different take on it. Some will love the direction you are taking the team, and some may not. Be prepared not only with the goals but also be prepared with the why those goals are essential and the how you will achieve them together.
What do you think? Are there any times when it is not appropriate to share your vision for your team with your team?
Servant Leadership 