Top Down or Bottom Up? The Right Answer When It Comes to Vision Building
Time travel with me.
It was the early 2000s and department stores were losing their edge.
The once coveted shopping destinations that had something for everyone were relinquishing customers to specialty retailers.
Why?
Because these specialty retailers had a distinct vision for the lifestyle of their target market.
And with that in mind, department stores – once titans of retail – decided to take their own crack at re-energizing their vision for the future.
The problem?
They went about it the wrong way.
Top-Down vs. Bottom-Up Vision Building
As a seasoned retail buyer at the time, I found myself a part of the retail landscape chaos.
Picture this:
A hotel ballroom, 50+ senior merchants deep, staring blankly at a PowerPoint presentation while leaders asked us to conjure a future vision for our departments.
It was about immediate, radical reinvention.
They were looking to us to grow something new inside an old container.
The pressure was immense, and frankly, I walked out feeling more confused than inspired.
Looking back, I realized the exercise wasn’t the problem. It was the “bottoms-up” approach.
We were asked to create departmental visions without a clear, inspiring vision from leadership. We needed an anchor, a guiding star, something BIG to rally around. And it was missing.
That experience taught me a crucial lesson…
You are the author of the vision!
Your team is looking to you for that guiding star. They need a vision that’s exciting, believable, and meaningful to chart their course. (And it works for both business and personal visions.)
If you don’t know where to start when it comes to vision building, here are three things to keep in mind:
#1 – Your vision should be clear on the destination, but open on how to get there.
Be descriptive, not prescriptive in how it happens. What is the impact you want to create? What is your end goal? Describe who will benefit and how their lives will be better. Describe the delight your team will create and feelings of accomplishment they can anticipate in reaching your audacious goal.
#2 – If your vision feels too attainable, it won’t generate commitment.
What is a vision that will stretch your team? Is it a quality improvement, an expansion of existing products, a value proposition that only a few can deliver right now, etc.?
#3 – Your vision needs to have purpose, not just numbers.
Describe the “Why” of your vision.
Who are you going to create lasting value for? What makes your work meaningful? Businesses that survive long-term have visions that go beyond revenue goals—they create lasting value.
An example in the real world: Amazon didn’t set out to be the biggest retailer. They set out to be the most customer centric, and it MADE them the biggest.
No one else can create the vision for you! No one else can speak the words on your lips.
Use these three principles to create a vision that draws your team toward a bright future.
Teamwork makes the dream work after all.
Takeaways:
- No one else can create the vision for you. You are the author.
- Your vision needs to be clear, exciting, and meaningful in order to work.
- When you provide the vision & the “why it matters” your team will innovate to get there.
Your vision guru,
Laurie
