The first and most important part of building a strong brand is to define the Vision framework for the company – clarifying the direction and objectives for all employees. The Vision, Core purpose and Core values form the base from which a strong Brand platform and Communication platform can be developed, as presented in an earlier post.
Some important aspects for a strong Vision framework
- The long-term direction of the company is decided by the owners and top management with the objective to develop the company in the right direction over time. It’s not a bunch of cool marketing phrases, it has to be thought-through, genuine and long-term since it forms the base for the business strategy
- To work over time, the Vision framework must embrace change. In great companies, change is a constant factor, but built on a fundament that never changes. And by being clear about what should never change, they are better able to stimulate change and progress in everything else
- The Vision framework must be clear, memorable and inspiring. One main purpose is to show all employees where we are heading and how we are going to get there. Do a test and ask your Management team what the company’s values are. If they don’t think it’s important and remember it, how should an employee in the other part of the world be able to?
The Vision framework in our model consists of three parts: The Vision, Core purpose and Core values. Here follows a short summary of each.
The Vision
When we work with management teams we normally use a model defined by Collin-Porras. In their view the Vision should not be a fluffy, general statement. People love to work towards objectives, also on this level. So, by renaming the Vision to a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) with a set time frame everyone has something to work towards. The most known BHAG is probably when President Kennedy said “Before the end of the decade we will put a man on the moon”. Half a million people knew what was needed to be done, and every night they could see the target. And the rest is history…
The Core purpose
The Core purpose is the reason you exist formulated so it embraces new ideas over time. One great example is Disney’s “To make people happy”. That allows Disney to publish stories, run parks, cruises, TV channels and much more. All with the same purpose. The purpose should make employees so proud that they even put it on the gravestone, in this example “Here rests a man who lived to make people happy”.
The Core values
The Core values is the way we have chosen to conduct our business. If we have honesty as a core value as an example, we must always honor it. And the one’s that don’t agree should leave the company.
If you want a more in-depth presentation of how we work with Vision frameworks, just reach out to ulf@sfinxconsulting.se.
