The stories we tell ourselves

Did you have a vision for yourself, or your business this time last year?

If so, how is it different now?

The Vision Thing

There are some wonderful vision statements:

• Alzheimers Association: A world without Alzheimers Disease

• Patagonia: Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.

• TED:Spread Ideas

On the other hand, there are many bad ones - visions that are really goals, or "feelgood" visions designed to look good. No use for guidance or inspiration.

A great vision is an effective audit document. It's a test for every decision we take. Is what we're doing moving us closer to the vision?

When times are good it's easy to make excuses and to pretend that making more profit is moving us towards the vision, but it's times like now that really test us. It's easy to put our own interests before the achievement of the vision and in an economy and culture that puts profit and reward above all, difficult to avoid.

“If you…