Directional Strategies:
Making Decision for Future Success

No matter how large or small, an organization must have an appropriate vision for the future.  They need a solid understanding of their mission (mission statement), they must set realistic goals and objectives (their guiding principles), and most importantly, they must review and constantly assess each of those to maintain positive growth. As we described previously, there are many environmental influences that can affect us. We need to meet these challenges head on, and if we do not know where we are going, or who we currently are, we are like a ship floundering on the ocean without a rudder. We also must be internally sound to meet the wants and needs of our patients/customers. That requires some re-visioning from time to time as well, and to maintain our competitive position, we must have all our internal pieces in place. While addressed earlier, let us use this section as a review of these important terms that provide direction for our organizations:

Directional Strategies: Mission

How many small optical organizations have ever thought about a mission statement? What is it? A definition can be summarized by the following:

• The mission of an organization indicates what the organization really is. Who and what it does. It is its “distinctiveness.”
  

• It is broadly defined and states the purpose of the organization.

The mission lets us and the environment in which we operate know who we are and what we do. Now, that sounds simplistic, but it is important. Do your employees really know what you do? Of course, but often in the day-to-day operations we sometimes forget, and to have a well-placed statement of the mission on the wall for all to see reminds us. Go to any hospital, and you will see it in many places, as it lets the patients they serve know how the organization views their role. These statements target the population they serve, and indicate the products or services offered. They define the philosophy of the organization, and let those who enter know what the organizations stands for; its distinctiveness. Mission statements are generally developed by those at the top of the organization, but with input from all of the staff and stakeholders.

I am often asked the question, “does the mission statement ever need to be changed”? The answer is yes, if the organization takes a new and different direction. For example, ‘back in the day’ as my younger students often say, the typical optical shop did not offer refraction services. As the times changed, they needed to associate with a refractionist, typically an OD, which then changed the overall mission of the organization. Mission statements need to be reviewed from time to time to accurately reflect what is happening in the organization in its current form.

Directional Strategies: Vision

The vision of the organization also comes from the senior leadership, and should state where the organization wishes to go in the future. What do you want to be down the road? Vision is something that may be difficult to teach. It requires an individual to have the ability to see the potential and then be able to communicate it to the organization. Once communicated, the organization must completely accept it. Without acceptance by all parties, it can never be effective, so the communication piece is very important. Make sure you have a vision for your organization, and then communicate it effectively to the staff so that it becomes theirs. When all of the people involved pull in the same direction, we can then move into the future and achieve that goal.

Characteristics of vision include:

• Inspiring

• Clear and Challenging

• Sensible

• Stable but Challenged

• Directive

• Empowering

• Futuristic

• Detailed

How do you get the necessary input from the staff? You listen to them, and ask for their suggestions. Group sessions in which you allow their input are important. In large organizations, surveys can play an important role, but in the typical small-business environment like the optical industry, face-to-face discussions will make the staff feel that they have had a voice, and by sharing your thoughts, they will actually gain ownership in the strategies selected.

Directional Strategies: Guiding Principles: Values

What are values? They are the core beliefs of the organization. They are the fundamental principles that the organization and those within it live by; the moral compass. Values are easy to establish, but as people change, can prove difficult to maintain. Symbolism is important here. Think about the United States Marine Corps, and their television commercials. The symbol of the Marines in their dress blues with crossed swords provides a symbol for us all. The history that is celebrated cements that symbol in our minds. While your organization is probably not the Marine Corps, think about ways you can develop some symbolism. Do you have a well-designed logo or something else that can be associated with your organization? Do you celebrate the history and current activities?

Values are the collective beliefs of all those in the organization. They meld into a single set of values that all live by. It is imperative that the leaders of the organization assure in the hiring process to bring in people who can add to the overall organizations goals and values, and are going to be comfortable in the environment.

Directional Strategies: Guiding Principles: Goals

Strategic goals allow are extremely important to the success of the organization. Goals:

1. Relate specifically to activities that are critical to accomplish the mission.

2. Link the success factors to the strategic momentum (carrying out the objectives).

3. Limited in number and achievable.

4. Come from the leadership, but should be accepted and appreciated by everyone.

Goals are not developed willy-nilly. We must carefully design our goals to make sure they follow the above guidelines. Goals should be measurable and obtainable. Setting goals outside our capabilities will do nothing more than set us up for failure, and that sends the wrong message. I have a friend who sells frames. His company sets unrealistic goals, and then can’t figure out why they never achieve them. It causes significant turnover and hurts all of those involved. They are not doing well, and will not until they learn to set realistic goals. Make sure you provide goals that are achievable, and also develop objectives…short term goals, if you will, that help us reach our overall goal. This aids the organization’s overall workplace satisfaction and will allow us to increase our goals over time.

To conclude this month’s article, let me tell you about a new book I have just completed with my colleague at Methodist University, Professor Michael Wayland. Our new book, Strategy Development for the Optical Industry and Beyond, is coming to the market very soon. Professor Wayland has many years of experience in both and small organizations, and we have tailored a guide to developing and assessing strategy that can help you plan for the future. It will be available very soon through the Opticians Association of America. In future articles, I will let you know when it actually hits the market. If you have an interest in strategy, and you all should, I hope you will get a copy of the book.