Getting everyone pulling in the same directon

The secret to getting everyone pulling in the same direction. This is what we'll be talking about today on how to lead the podcast for CEOs, founders, and leaders who want some clear tools, techniques, and strategies to help them lead well so their teams thrive and results follow. I'm Kate Waterfall Hill, and I'll be sharing some ideas from over 30 years of working in business and leadership development.

If you find my take on leadership useful, but would like to go deeper into elevating your own leadership skills or those of your managers, do check my website, waterfall hill.co.uk, the details of my book, my online course, my group coaching program, my team workshops, and my one-to-one coaching programs.

In today's episode, we are talking about something that every business says it has, but most don't use properly, and that's vision. And I'm not talking about a laminated poster on the wall with a vague sentence about excellence and innovation.

I'm talking about a real usable vision that guides your decisions, energises your team, and gives your business a reason to exist beyond making money and hoping for the best. I've talked about creating a vision in previous episodes of this podcast, but I wanted to give you some really good examples and how to actually do it.

So this one is, especially for you, if you run a small to mid-size business and want your team to pull in the same direction without needing a three-day strategy retreat, and a PowerPoint deck full of buzzwords. Let's start, as always with Linda.

“Everyone wants clarity on the vision, which is all very well, but it changes every five minutes, doesn't it? One minute it's sustainability. The next minute it's ai, and then it's basically whatever Williams read on LinkedIn that morning. But it's a bit tricky. You know, I do my best. I put some arrows on a flip chart, send round a PowerPoint or something, throw in words like innovation and future proofing into conversations.

But truthfully, half the time I'm just winging it. Yeah, I wish I knew how to do it better.”

Yes, Linda's got a bit distracted there with some buzzwords like AI and sustainability, but let's talk about why vision actually matters, even if you think you are too small for one.

Now I often see people eye rolling. When I say the word vision, for some people it feels a bit fluffy or maybe a bit corporate, but actually a good vision is just a clear answer to one key question, where are we going and why? If you can answer that in a way that your team understands, believes in, and can act on, then congratulations. You've got a vision. But if you can't, then things can get messy. People tend to pull in different directions. Priorities get muddled. And morale drops.

So often when I'm working with leaders, I ask them, does your team or your organisation have a vision? And they say, yes, we do. It's on our website, I think somewhere. Let me have a look. Well, that's not great. But the good news is creating a clear vision doesn't need to be complicated. And I'm going to talk to you about how you actually embed the vision in your every day.

You don't need a strategy consultant. You don't need an away day, although you might want one you just need to talk to each other. And here's how. Starting off with a simple conversation, get your leadership team together and set aside an hour or two. That's it. It doesn't have to be any big workshop.

No external facilitator, although I make a really good job of being a great facilitator. It's just about having time to talk properly. Ask yourselves these questions and answer honestly, no jargon, no marketing spin. Just say what you really think. So first of all, why did we start this business in the first place?

What was the problem we wanted to solve? What were we frustrated by in our industry perhaps, and what made us think there has to be a better way?

Secondly, what makes us different from others in our industry? Thinking about how you work, how you treat people, and what you care about, what do your customers notice that makes them stay?

So when I think about this question about why do my leadership accelerator members come and join me, it's because they want to elevate their skills, but they want to do it in a fun way. with somebody who's got energy and some humour about them. So it's not all dry and dull.

That's my difference. I deliver expertise and experience, but I couple it with levity and humour and a bit of fun. A bit of energy.

What do you do that makes you different? Number three, what do our customers regularly thank us for? Not the stuff that you wish they said, but the things they actually say. Have a look at your reviews, any feedback you get, any emails that people send in. What do people love about what you do?

Number four, what's changed since we started and what hasn't. This might help you to understand your core identity. What have you protected over time and what's evolved as you've grown?

Number five, where do we want to be in five years? Describe it in simple terms. What does success look like for your business, your customers, and your team? And then number six, what kind of business do we want to be known as? This is about reputation. How do you want people to describe you? Not just in terms of service, but values, style and impact. Now I've talked in terms of businesses here, but this can be true of teams, can be true of non-for-profit, public sector, anything you like, you just got to think instead of what kind of business do we want to be known as? What sort of team do we want to be known as? What's our reputation? Now go through these six questions. but don't rush it. Let people talk.

Capture the themes and stories that come up again and again, because that's where the vision lives. So just a quick recap on those six questions. Why do we start and what was the problem we wanted to solve? What makes us different? What do our customers regularly thank us for?

Where do we want to be in five years and what kind of business do we want to be known as?

I like to bring these sorts of things to life with some examples, so I've got some here. So imagine there's a dog owner started a small dog food company because her Labrador had chronic skin problems. None of the big brands helped, so she started experimenting with raw, natural ingredients at home. And amazingly it worked.

Other dog owners started asking for it, and a business grew. The vision wasn't to disrupt the pet food industry with sustainable innovation, or though that's what she's done. It was, we want every dog to feel as good as ours did when we fixed his food.

Nice and simple and down to earth, clear and personal too. And something every member of the team could get behind.

So here are some more examples of real small businesses that nailed their vision by keeping it simple and true to their story. Truly Treats, they say crafting delight into every bite. These are quality handmade cakes and bakes from South Devon, and their vision is to become a leading and trusted wholesale supplier of cakes, tray bakes, and scones or scones, depending on where you come from throughout the UK. Their website says, we aim for Truly Treats to be recognised for its dedication, to exceptional taste innovation, and delivering first class customer service.

They go on to talk about being an exceptional workplace where the team members feel valued. They're committed to fostering a support of an inclusive environment, and they take pride in their commitment to environmentally friendly practices.

The important bit is the vision is clear. It's to become a leading and trusted wholesale supplier of cakes, tray bakes, and scones throughout the UK. Really clear. Not fancy, not trying too hard.

Then we've got an animal grooming and care firm in Kent called A-Z Animal Care. They say, we'll be there for you through every chapter of your pet story, working in partnership with this generation and those to come. We will continue to enhance, develop, and invest in the future of animal health and care. Our vision is for your pet to feel safe, comfortable, and happy while they are with us, and for you to feel the same.

Then I found Lincoln Green. It says on their website, welcome to our family of warm, traditional, proper pubs across Nottingham. And their vision is we want to make people happy. It's a simple statement and it reflects their very reason for doing what they do.

And it's said with sincerity and authenticity. So it says on their website, they go on to say that their beer is brewed with love, care, and attention, with the sole purpose of responsible satisfaction and enjoyment. while their pubs offer a welcome respite from the modern world, encouraging social interactions and diversity with our always welcoming philosophy.

What these businesses all have in common isn't a clever slogan. It's clarity. They know what they care about, and it shows in what they make, how they treat people, and where they're heading.

But let's also talk about the kinds of businesses that don't often make it into podcast examples. They're less glamorous, perhaps behind the scenes companies that keep everything running. Two of these businesses are firms that I've worked with myself. Firstly, the Network Collective, a network and telecoms consultancy. Their vision is refreshingly clear. Your trusted guide through the evolving world of network and telecoms We are a team of fiercely independent and data-driven experts.

We're on a mission to help organisations navigate complex network and telecom services, giving them the confidence to unlock greater efficiencies and the agility to accelerate value. So simple, purposeful, and focused on real impact. Another one of my clients is water scan. A water management consultancy.

Their vision is to be the driving force in the UK water market for creating efficient and effective approaches to sustainable water management. That improves customer resilience and protects the most critical resource for future generations.

One last one is called DDR, a specialist drilling service that fills a vital, but often overlooked role in construction. Julia White, the MD, describes it as the AA of the construction industry, a down to earth metaphor that sums up the company's value, reliable support when you really need it, and their vision is empowering progress, safety and employment in diamond drilling and concrete cutting.

So your business might not be saving the planet or researching cures for global diseases, but you do have a story, and somewhere in that story is your vision. If you're willing to dig a little. But my urge to you is not to over polish it. There's a trap that a lot of businesses fall into - once they've had these conversations, they turn into something overly polished.

They write a vision statement that sounds like chat, GPT spatter out in 2021. Please don't do that. The vision should sound like you. It should be something you'd say out loud, not read off a slide. And most importantly, it should mean something to your team. So if you say, our vision is to deliver integrated customer-centric solutions across multiple verticals, your team won't remember it and they definitely won't feel inspired by it.

But if you say, we're here to help small business owners feel less overwhelmed by tech, that's real. That's useful. I also wanted to talk about how to use your vision because once you've got a version of your vision that feels right, you need to start using it.

Don't put it in a drawer, here are a few ways to bring it to life. Use it to prioritise. Ask, does this decision take us closer to our vision? If not, why are we doing it? Use it to hire. Share it in job ads. Talk about it in interviews. Hire people who get it. Use it to motivate, remind the team why the work matters, especially when it gets tough.

And use it to communicate. Share it with customers, partners, even suppliers. Let people know what you are about. And the more you use it, the more powerful it becomes. It's not a static sentence, it's a compass. a strong vision isn't complicated. It's not fancy, it's just honest. It tells your team, your customers, and yourself. This is what we care about. This is where we're going, and this is why it matters. Please forget the buzzwords. Get in a room, talk it through and say it simply. You might be surprised how clear things become.

So, one last word. A good vision sounds like something you'd actually say if it makes you cringe. It's not right yet. I urge you to grab a pen, gather your team, ask real questions, listen more than you talk and build a vision that really means something. That's all for today's episode of How to Lead.

Until next time. If you'll want to be less like Linda, then keep leading with clarity, care, and curiosity. If you've enjoyed this episode, do follow for more leadership insights. And if you'd like my personal support, take a look at my website, www.waterfall hill.co.uk. Please spare a moment to like, leave a review and share this podcast with your fellow leaders to help spread the word about how to lead. The best leaders are clear on the vision. Care about their people and approach interactions with curiosity, not judgment. Until next time, thanks for listening.