10 Steps to Create and Execute

Your Business Vision

Follow these steps to achieve more within your business.

1. TAKE A POSITION

This may be the broad vision of your business in five years or a specific vision for your members’ front desk experience. The position you take must be compelling to you. For example, “My goal is to operate the most popular fitness facility in Edmonton for women between the ages of 25-35.”

2. SHARE YOUR POSITION

Present this position to your team members; explain why your position is important and how it will meet their needs when they support it.

3. GATHER YOUR INTERNAL RESOURCES

Internal resources are your thoughts, ideas and experiences that will be useful in actualizing your position. For example, ask yourself, “What does ‘most popular’ mean to me?”

4. GATHER YOUR EXTERNAL RESOURCES

These are the resources from your past and present employees, customers, friends and family. For example, ask them, “What does ‘most popular’ mean to you?”

5. USE YOUR IMAGINATION

Imagine what other people – like Bill Gates, Richard Branson and other business leaders – would do in the same circumstances, taking your same position.

6. PRIORITIZE

Gather all of your ideas from steps 3, 4 and 5. Now prioritize your action steps based on achieve- ment of outcomes and ease of implementation, including cost. Look closely at ideas that are low cost, easy-to-implement and likely to result in the desired outcome in the shortest period of time.

7. FILTER

Take your top three to five ideas and ask, “What are the possible unintended consequences of each idea?” Discard any ideas that may result in negative unintended results. For example, will your goal be achieved if your facility is the most popular but is not profitable? Probably not.

8. PLAN AND PRESENT

Build the plan with the people who will execute it, and present it to the rest of your team. With everyone’s involvement and buy-in, you will minimize detractors. Also create a contingency plan for the “what ifs.” For example, “What if Mary gets sick? Who will take care of the outgoing phone calls?”

9. EXECUTE

Execute the top idea as quickly as possible and create timelines for the others. Do not get bogged down with minutiae; the little details will work themselves out along the way.

or we risk repeating them. Too often we dismiss our mistakes and we fail to learn from and share this learning with others. Insight suggests that one can see

into something. This is easy if you look at what is there, but also what is not there. Think of successful soccer players; they see the opposing players but also openings and paths between players. It makes sense to spend most of your time focusing on the path that leads to the desired outcome rather than on the obstacles in your way. Courage, according to Aristotle,

is the space between cowardice and recklessness. In business, this means

10. ADJUST

No matter how well you have planned for a specific outcome, there may be factors you did not anticipate or urgent matters that will need your attention. “Go with the flow” and adjust and opti- mize along the way to ensure you achieve the desired outcome regardless of the obstacles.

making the decisions that others are afraid to make. In your business, deci- sions made with courage can result in increased profitability, lower member attrition and increased staff loyalty. If you or people on your team are

lacking vision, and are therefore not achieving the results you desire, follow a step-by-step process to create vision. Though it may be less romantic than standing atop a mountain, blending in- stinct with process can result in higher

quality outcomes – and you won’t have to worry about falling off the moun- tain. FBC

As vice-president of Can-Fit-Pro, Rod

Macdonald has influenced thousands of people to positively transform their lives. In addition to being a multi-sport athlete, Ironman competi- tor, coach, author, editor and former competi- tive rower, Rod recently completed a cross- Canada bike ride to raise awareness and funds for the Sears National Kids Cancer Ride.

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