The disadvantage is that it takes more time up front and can be messy. The importance of inspiring a shared vision Jacqueline Martin*, Brendan McCormack, Donna Fitzsimons and Rebecca Spirig *Corresponding author: University Hospital Basel, Switzerland Email:jacqueline.martin@usb.ch Submitted for publication: 25th June 2014 Accepted for publication: 3rd September 2014 Abstract Inspire a Shared Vision, along with Model the Way, Enable Others to Act, Challenge the Process and Encourage the Heart are the Five Exemplary Practices first outlined by Kouzes and Posner over 30 years ago in their landmark book “The Leadership Challenge.” As a leader, you have to help people take your vision and make it their own. A vision has to be shared in order to do what it is meant to do — which is inspire, clarify, and focus the work. The length of the vision statement can be telling about the company. Members of a group need to have a shared vision and a sense of ownership in order to be committed to the group. Creating a crisp and inspiring Mission and Vision and then weaving it into the fabric of an organisation is hard. Although a shared vision is a key element in leading organisations and in change, the impact of such a vision on clinical practice is rarely described in the literature. It has a clear motivational effect on everyone within the organization. Aims and objectives: To determine qualitatively the benefits of a shared vision as one essential feature of leadership behaviour. But when the Vision and Mission are an integral part of the organisation they give the company strength and direction well after those who helped create it are gone. An 11 Step Process to Align Your Colleagues with Your Vision To do this, you have to communicate the vision in a way that matters to people. The vision statement will provide the guidance employees need to make the right decisions. A vision statement describes the company’s purpose, what the company is striving for, and what it wants to achieve. Most writers of vision statements find that it’s a rewarding and inspiring process. Inspire a Shared Vision is one of The Five Practices that focuses on helping leaders imagine exciting possibilities for the future and learning ways to enlist others in that shared vision. Vision can be hard to talk about, but it's important to understand. It creates an energy and enthusiasm, increasing commitment and fostering change. That is key in helping people stay with a group for the long haul. Importance of (Shared) Vision. You have to ground this vision … Ready to learn more about a clear, evidence-based path to become the best leader you can be. The results are surprisingly consistent, with 95% respondents feeling that a shared vision was important, and over 77% viewing it as very or critically important. As noted in our guidebook Communicating Your Vision, part of your job as a leader is to generate commitment to your organization’s vision. This is an important step in bringing people together to work toward a common goal. A vision statement can be short or long. Benefit three – Possibly the most significant benefit of a clear vision statement is it can be motivating and inspiring. Your vision is the sum of why you went into business in the first place, and what form your company takes to share that mission with the world. The vision then becomes “our vision” or “the team’s vision.” The advantages of involving others in the creation of a vision are a greater degree of commitment, engagement, and diversity of thought. It is inspiring; Defining a powerful vision is inspiring.