Q: What techniques do you use to rally staff around your vision?

I have incorporated a process known as vision mapping. It is a strategic planning process that places greater emphasis on the vision. All staff participate by sharing their visions and coming to s consensus on the vision by the end of the process. I share my vision at the same time that staff share theirs. As the discussion progresses and the vision takes shape, I get instant feedback as to how on target my vision was compared to the staff's. Because the final version is consensual, my vision, or at least parts of it, may or may not reach the final draft. However, the benefits of full and open discussion and agreement far outweigh that risk.

We then develop strategies that will lead us to the vision and assign responsibilities and deadlines to the individual strategies. Performance goals are then tied to the vision. The process yields a concise (usually 1-2 page) document that is used as a management tool as opposed to a lengthy strategic plan that sits on the shelf until it is time to revise it in three years. The process is great. A shared vision is created, and the performance and management tool benefits everyone.

Gene A. Honn, CAE Team Leader, National FFA Foundation, Indianapolis; [e-mail]

Hopefully, the CEO's vision is in sync with the board of director's vision created through the strategic planning process. Our senior staff are a part of the board meetings when the strategic plan is crafted. Because organizational components implement specific strategic plan goals, staff members have personal responsibility for the specific objectives for the committees and task forces they relate to on an ongoing basis. The staff incentive compensation plan is tied to our desired outcomes, the progress of which is monitored in weekly staff meetings.

Marsha S. Block, CAE CEO, American Group Psychotherapy Association, New York City; [e-mail]

I don't look at it as my vision but the vision of the academy. When we developed "Vision 2020" as a team, performance goals for each employee, including me, centered on the strategic plan and the key results. To gain support from staff members, it is important to obtain their input in the strategic plan and give each employee responsibility for his or her goals. We have meetings to update staff on the status of the strategic plan and what each staff member is contributing to achieve the plan goals. I also meet with staff members to make sure they are on target with their personal goals and to determine if adjustments are necessary.

John S. Jordan, CAE Executive Vice President and CEO, Pennsylvania Academy of Family Physicians and Foundation, Harrisburg; [e-mail]

Our staff is a team, Communication is essential to keeping that team working together. We have weekly staff meetings where we discuss current issues and work assignments for the coming week. Several times during the year we talk about the mission and the vision of the organization, which is instilled in the minds of our staff (and volunteers, I might add). It really does come down to good communication, good understanding of the mission from the beginning, and an awareness of the concerns and issues in the current environment. By not keeping secrets, everybody understands in what direction the organization is going.

Harriet L. Fader, CAE President and CEO, Diabetes Association of Greater Cleveland; [e-mail]

My most important technique is communication. Share with your staff your ideas and vision for the organization, because staff buy-in is vital for its ultimate success. I also share with my staff the variety of challenges to my vision and explain how achieving our vision will enhance the organization and their daily jobs.

W. Mark Hamilton Executive Director, American Mental Health Counselors Association, Alexandria, Virginia; [e-mail]