April 3, 2012

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Forming a perfectly clear strategic vision for your company is a difficult undertaking for any entrepreneur. Whether you want to double revenue, create a new product, change the world, make people happy, or do anything worth dedicating a large portion of your life to, you need to find a path.

It doesn’t need to be a lengthy process—in fact, it can take just 10 minutes. Below is a five-step exercise I recently completed that has made a world of difference with my company, and my team’s determination to reach our goals:

1. Ask the question.

Too often when we think about what we want to do, our own negativity holds us back. Are you here or are you there? Do not focus on what you want to accomplish from afar; you need to start at the accomplishment in order to eventually tell the story of how you got there.  By adopting your future mindset now, you can push all that self-doubt aside and these answers become the building blocks to accomplishing your vision. This is the most powerful part of the entire exercise.

2. Write it down.

Use a large whiteboard to write all the accomplishments your team states during this exercise. The key here: Nothing is unrealistic, out of reach, or too big. Have fun with the exercise. The more out-of-the-box the accomplishment is, the more energy will grow in the room as everyone takes turns telling the story.  Don’t let anyone over-think what they are going to say — instead, tell them it should come from the gut.

3. Categorize your list.

You and your team might have come up with 15 or so accomplishments, but after you organize them, you’ll see that they fall into a handful of broader themes: partnerships, product development, office expansion, and so forth.  You may have outliers, and this is fine; use it to build on the collaboration of ideas.

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