. . . . . . The wisdom of the Cheshire Cat from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is profoundly applicable to the challenges organizations sometimes face when they seek to define their Vision Statement. Alice asks, (As we here at SWAN are also so often asked by those we support.) “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?” Our response is much the same as the Cheshire Cat when he replies, “That depends a good deal on where you want to get to.”

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. . . . . . A vision statement tells people what you want to accomplish over time and how your business can make things different through its purpose and activities. It provides the outside world insight into your goals and how you want to be perceived. Vision statements are typically aspirational and inspirational. They encourage stakeholders, employees, and customers to think about their actions and where the company is headed. They provide a picture of the future.

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The dialogue between Alice and the Cheshire Cat goes on to say,

……. “I don’t much care where” said Alice.
……. “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat.
……. “So long as I get SOMEWHERE,” Alice added as an explanation.
……. “Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat, “if you only walk long enough.”

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. . . . . . Within our organizations it isn’t uncommon to get excited about something, head down a road at 100mph only to look up a few weeks, months or even years later and find yourself saying, “Where are we?” “How did we get here?” “Is this the best use of our resources?” “Are we creating a powerful impact?

.. . . . . . A powerful Vision Statement is like a North Star. When used properly, we constantly check our actions and decisions against it to help make sure we don’t veer too far off course. Keeping in mind that a Vision Statement can be revisited and changed but should not be done very often.

. . . . . . If you would like to create a Vision Statement here is the practice we use here at SWAN. This can be done in person, or remotely (although it seems to be more powerful when done in person.) You will need one facilitator (and possibly a scribe) and a mixed group of your organization’s stakeholders. If possibly, we recommend including you entire board, executive team, and staff. Depending on the size of your group, this process could take one to two hours. You do NOT want to be rushed so plan accordingly. If you are in person you will need a large whiteboard or flip charts. If you are doing this remotely you will need a google doc/jamboard/etc (something everyone can see and write on).

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. . . . . . Facilitator, invite the participants into a meditative state. Ask them to situate themselves in a physically comfortable position for this first part of the process so that they can fully relax and vision.

. . . . . . Imagine we are all at a marvelous gala for our organization, 30 years from now, into the future. Wow! How amazing it is! Look around the gala. What do you see? What do you smell? What are you eating? What do you hear? Who is there? Where is the gala taking place? What are the newspaper headlines? Just be in it! Soak up and feel every little detail you can.

. . . . . . Slowly and gently invite everyone back into the present moment. If they have not already done so, ask everyone to individually, write down everything they saw/felt/etc. Come together in a large group and share what people saw/felt/etc. Have a scribe capture all that is being shared on a large whiteboard/flip charts (something everyone can see.

. . . . . . Ask everyone to review their notes and circle the THREE most essential words that jump out to them on their individual pages. Then invite everyone to go to the whiteboard/flip charts and circle the three words from all the group shared that stand out to them.

. . . . . . Divide the large group into small groups of 3-5 people per group. Then each group works together to draft and present one potential Vision Statement.
. . . . . . Everyone comes back together and each group presents their draft. A scribe captures all of them.
. . . . . . The facilitator asks the big group to identify what they like, negotiates wording, and produces a final vision statement.

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Celebrate! A job well done!